


Somnolence

by RoughDraftHero



Category: Original Work, original slash - Fandom, oslash
Genre: Age Difference, BDSM, Businessmen, Contracts, D/s, Dominance, Exes, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Power Play, Slash, Spanking, there might be a high school reunion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-09-25
Updated: 2013-09-25
Packaged: 2017-12-27 15:26:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/980561
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoughDraftHero/pseuds/RoughDraftHero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian thinks it would be fun to completely control another person's life. Daniel humors him... but not for free.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ian cracked an ice cube in his mouth, crunching it to gravelly shards. His hands were folded, resting on his knees. "Well, with the AOP conference in January," he said, "I was expecting a little more effort on the Swatson project."

He wiped at a rogue water droplet, and tapped the screen of his phone. "What have you been doing for the past three weeks, Daniel?"

Daniel Maynard swallowed. "Uh, well." He shifted on his knees.

Looking up, Ian cocked an eyebrow. "I said no moving." He was watching Daniel with hooded eyes. A lazy smile curved on his face.

Ian Clay … the boss. Twenty-nine. Hired from outside. Perfect teeth. Perfectly coiffed blonde hair. Daniel met him at the new employee orientation, something Daniel hated leading, but somehow found foisted on him because everyone knew he wouldn't complain. He saw Ian for the first time there, in the dingy conference room. Even under fluorescent lighting, Ian looked amazing in his understated, but perfectly cut suit.

He approached Daniel after the orientation, hand outstretched. The first thing Daniel noticed was how well-trimmed and clean his nails were. He also had a solid grip— firm, and the way he pressed his thumb against Daniel's palm sent a shiver down Daniel's spine.

Pulling away, Daniel was sure Ian noticed. He had.

It's easy to say one thing led to another, and what happened certainly wasn't easy. But— one thing led to another.

"You'll have to work overtime."

Blinking, Daniel tried to hide the flicker of unhappiness.

He should have known better. Ian's chair creaked as he stood, and he leaned forward, resting his hands on his desk. His face was inches away from Daniel's, because Daniel was kneeling on the desk.

He was naked. His arms were outstretched, as if he was Jesus Christ on the cross, wrists chained to a bar that pressed down oppressively against the back of his neck. It kept him bowed, his spine curved. His entire body ached.

"Getting tired?" Ian asked.

Daniel nodded sluggishly. He was more than tired. He had been in this position for over an hour. By that time, the entire office building was probably empty, everyone gone home to do things like watch silly reality shows or eat microwave meals. Daniel also used to do those things, before he met Ian.

"I see," Ian said. He picked up his glass of brandy, and took a sip, catching another ice cube in his mouth. Daniel watched it perish between his teeth.

Ian fished another out with his hand, the ice dripping with alcohol. He smiled at Daniel, and then slowly, delicately, rubbed the ice cube against Daniel's nipple. Through of a haze of exhaustion, Daniel registered the cold and moaned.

"Hn," Ian murmured. His eyes danced as he stared at Daniel. He leaned forward, and licked Daniel's damp skin, sucking at the brandy on his nipple. Teeth grazed vulnerable skin.

Daniel sagged, the bar across his back weighing far more than it did when Ian first strapped him to it. His eyelids lowered, and he yearned for a pillow.

"You're daydreaming again," Ian said, amused words that brought Daniel back to the present. The glint in his eye told Daniel that the amusement didn't extend very far. The sudden, digging hold on Daniel's hip cemented that assumption. He dropped his head.

Snorting, Ian ran his thumbs in languid circles against Daniel's hip bone. He moved forward to kiss Daniel, and Daniel turned his head. The silence that followed could have choked him.

"Not tired enough, I guess," Ian said. He shrugged, and stepped away from his desk, glass in hand.

Daniel couldn't even focus on what Ian was doing anymore, he was too busy trying to stay upright. His vision was already blurring, his lips dry. He thought about his bed, a single with a bland, efficient metal frame, and tried holding on to the fact that eventually, at some point, he would be able to sleep on it that night.

This may have been the wrong line of thought. His eyes closed, and suddenly he was on that bed. He barely noticed when he pitched forward. There was a crash, Ian shoving his chair out of the way, and then Daniel landed against a solid chest, strong arms enveloping him. "Jesus," Ian chuckled. He let Daniel droop against one arm, and started to unfasten the binds with his free hand. The bar fell to the ground with a thud.

One hand slid under the crook of his legs, the other under his back. "Nnn," Daniel slurred tiredly, and his head dropped back. Ian shifted, rolling Daniel towards his chest, and Daniel drummed up the last of his energy to lift his head, and rest it against Ian's shoulder.

"That's a good boy," Ian murmured.

Daniel was already too far gone to feel the usual swell of shame at being called 'boy' by someone younger than him. He sighed, drifting closer to sleep. There may have been some walking, Daniel wasn't sure, but he almost cried with relief when he felt himself lowered on Ian's leather sofa.

Dropping a knee in between Daniel's legs, Ian rested a hand on Daniel's thigh. He bent over, a small smile playing on his lips. Daniel looked up at him with hazy eyes. "What am I gonna do, Daniel?" Ian asked.

Daniel's eyes closed, and his face dropped to the side. He felt a pinch at his nipple, and he yelped. Slightly more awake, he looked back up at Ian. "What?" he asked, his voice sounding distant.

Ian let out an amused breath. "What am I going to do?"

"Fuck me," Daniel replied, slightly confused, his eyebrows pinching together. Why did Ian have to keep pushing at him?

A gentle hand brushed his hair away from his forehead. "That's right," Ian said, sounding mollified. He slid a hand under Daniel's thigh, and lifted his leg. Daniel let himself drift again, somewhat aware that Ian had dipped his thumb into Daniel's mouth, rolling it against his tongue. "Just relax, baby," Ian said, "It'll be okay."

Whatever. A thought about how he would have to get home after this poked at the back of Daniel's mind, but he was too tired to pay it much heed. A finger pushed into him, and he rocked up slightly, grimacing.

It all felt very removed from Daniel. Lips pressed against his own, and this time he didn't bother turning away. Ian slid up against him, bearing the weight of his entire body down on Daniel. He took his time, leisurely kissing and nibbling Daniel's lips. He turned Daniel's head, kissing the corner of his mouth first, and then moving down to his throat. Ian's hand found its way back down, fingers shoving into Daniel again.

What Daniel was feeling, mostly, was warmth. He was too exhausted to comprehend things more complicated than that, and Ian felt very warm on top of him.

The warmth disappeared however, and the sudden rush of cold air dragged Daniel back from the grips of slumber again. He blinked, dizzy and confused. Ian was watching him, straddling him and rubbing his chest. "Look at you," Ian said, with affection Daniel was sure he was imagining. "You must really trust me."

He unbuckled his belt, and undid his fly with one hand. He pulled out his cock. "That's a good thing, Daniel," he said, "You  _should_  trust me."

Daniel exhaled heavily. Ian should know that Daniel couldn't even really understand what he was saying. That Daniel was just cold and tired. He reached up, grabbing for Ian, wanting his body heat back. He let out a small, needy whine.

"Ok," Ian said, laughing. "Alright." He slipped a condom out of his pocket, and ripped the packaging. "Good thing we prepped you already," he muttered, rolling the condom on. A sense of urgency was starting to break through his husky tone.

He rolled Daniel to his side, and Daniel was grateful for Ian's chosen position. This way, Daniel could rest his cheek on the cushion, and it required little bending. Not that Daniel would have been able to do anything acrobatic on his own anyway. Anything that Ian wanted done, he would have to do himself.

Which he did. He gripped Daniel's thigh, lifting his leg a little. He shifted, and then started rubbing the tip of his erection against Daniel's opening. With a smooth thrust, he pushed in, and Daniel moaned. It was warm. Ian pulled out all the way, and then shoved in again, pushing Daniel up the couch with the force of it.

Daniel's fingers curled, and he pushed his hand against his mouth. Without thinking, he sucked on his fingers, his eyes closed. Everything was heating up, he could hear Ian breathing heavily above him, grunting a few times as he fucked Daniel.

Hands pushed him to his back, his legs going in the air. Ian shoved into him again and again, leaning over him and just watching him with a clouded gaze. Daniel felt himself receding into the heat, the rocking lulling him farther and farther from consciousness. Ian was using his body, and he didn't mind it. The last thing he saw was the pleased spark in Ian's eyes.

He fell asleep.

'''

Maybe it was a boring thing to say, but he never thought things would turn out like this. He was just a thirty-seven year old office worker, doing a job he would never get promoted from. He was content with that, he really was. Sometimes, he even managed to drum up the energy to go out on saturday nights, try to pick someone up.

That was until one night, while working late, Ian came up to him. Ian had his sleeves rolled up, his tie loosened. He had leaned over Daniel, bracing his hand against the edge of Daniel's desk. Daniel caught a whiff of his cologne, and closed his eyes. He had never been such close proximity with someone … well, someone like Ian.

"Glutton for punishment?" Ian had asked, a thin lock of blonde hair falling in his eyes.

Blinking, Daniel had gripped his pen too hard, leaving a spastic mark on the paper he was writing on. "W-what?" he stuttered, wiping stupidly at the ink, and only managing to smear it on his hand.  _Why did he do that? Why couldn't he keep a handle on things even once?_

Ian had smiled, and placed his hand on Daniel's shoulder. "You're working late again."

If he hadn't been so self-involved with his constant failings at social interactions, he might have realized how closely Ian was appraising him. How he would test Daniel, slowly at first, with teasing lines, just to see how Daniel reacted.

Maybe Daniel would have noticed how he had passed every single one of Ian's tests.

''''

He woke up.

He was not on his bed. His bed was not this comfortable. His bed did not have silk-soft white sheets, and goose down pillows. The view from his bed did not include a wall-to-wall window view of the city skyline. There was a groan behind him.

His bed did not have Ian. Daniel swallowed, and then twisted around, looking over his shoulder. Ian was lying next to him, one arm thrown over his head. In the morning light, his tanned, muscled skin looked especially unfair. He also had a bit of golden stubble going. Daniel considered him for a moment, and then started shifting towards the edge of the bed.

Even if Ian brought him here, it still seemed too embarrassing to be caught. Like he was intruding.

Just as his foot hit the carpet, there was a more pointed sound from behind him. "You know," Ian murmured, "It wasn't very easy getting you to this bed." A hand wrapped around Daniel's wrist. "It would be in your best interest not to leave it without permission."

Daniel didn't question him. He crawled back around, and scooted under the covers, stiffening only slightly when Ian pushed an arm under his shoulders, and drew him closer. Daniel exhaled. Ian was being nice … not unusual, but jarring all the same. He was oddly nice on the days after they did things, bringing Daniel a latte and a croissant in the morning, or asking Daniel into his office and then letting Daniel nap there for a half hour. Daniel didn't read too deeply into it, it was probably some sort of payback for Daniel letting him do the things he did... not that Daniel was saying he was so easy as a latte and a croissant.

This was new, however … ending up at Ian's apartment. It was the first time Daniel had ever been there. He glanced around, and nearly choked when he saw a row of whips and paddles hanging in Ian's open closet. If anything, Daniel had to admire Ian's easy acceptance of the things Ian liked to do. Then, Daniel wondered if Ian wanted to use any of those things on him.

"What are you thinking about?" Ian said. Daniel shrugged, burrowing further down in the blanket. He heard a chuckle.

A hand skimmed down his stomach, and then gripped his cock. Surprised, Daniel flinched back.

Just as quickly, Ian grabbed him, and forced him on his stomach. He straddled Daniel, leaning over so that his lips pressed against Daniel's ear. " _Don't_ be disobedient," he muttered. He licked the ridge of Daniel's ear. "You didn't get off last night. Have to keep my pet happy." His hand slid back to Daniel's cock, and tugged lazily. Daniel felt the first few sparks of excitement.

"That's alright," Daniel replied, the words coming out gritted. He elbowed against Ian's chest, only to have his arm locked against his back.

He clenched his jaw. " _No._ "

Ian's hand on Daniel's arm released, and then his weight was gone as well. He dropped down beside Daniel, flopping his arm over his eyes. "Here's the thing, Daniel." he said, his voice flat. "You don't get to say no."

"I just did … " Daniel replied, fumbling towards the nightstand. He had no idea what time it was. The sun was out, but that could mean anything.

Another chuckle, but slightly exasperated. "Yes, I guess you did."

Daniel ignored him, grasping the clock on the nightstand, and turning the face towards him. Half past noon.  _Wonderful._ His dog would be pissed. He moved to get up again, when a hand grabbed on his, and Ian threaded their fingers. He was leaning over Daniel, and gently, he pulled Daniel away from the edge of the bed.

Ian wrapped his arm around Daniel, pressing Daniel back into his chest. "When we went over the rules of this arrangement," he said, his warm breath puffing against Daniel's neck, "you agreed to them." Twirling a lock of Daniel's brown hair around his finger, Ian gave it a playful tug. "And there was no mention of stubbornness in the mornings."

"There was no mention of  _mornings,_ " Daniel replied.

"Mmm."

Daniel considered the whips in the closet. "But, yeah. Ok."

"Ok what?"

Rubbing his eyes, Daniel let out a frustrated groan. "Yes, ok. I won't be stubborn."

"Daniel…" Ian replied, and Daniel could practically see the eyeroll. He was dislodged from Ian, and pushed down on his back. For a moment, he was presented with the view of the ceiling, before Ian loomed over him with a bemused smile. "It's like you don't even know what that means."

"Stubborn?" Daniel replied, "I know what stubborn means." He wondered if Ian would ask him for a definition. He hoped not, he wasn't good at describing things.

Ian stared at him for a moment, and Daniel grew self-conscious. His gaze darted to the side, and he played with the edge of the sheet. Fingers pressed against his lips, and his eyes flew back up to Ian. Ian was still smiling. "In this, you don't have the right to say 'no'. What I do, what I say, is law."

Daniel tried not to scoff. He had heard something similar at the beginning, when Ian described the arrangement to Daniel, but it sounded more like play-acting. It still sounded like play-acting.

"Alright," Ian said finally, sighing. "We'll keep working on it." He sat up, dragging the blanket off of them. He shoved at Daniel, pushing him towards the edge of the bed. "Off you go, go take a shower."

Daniel stared at Ian over his shoulder for a moment, thrown for a loop at the abrupt change in mood. "Ok … " he said slowly, shuffling off the bed. There was a noise behind him, and suddenly a flat palm landed on his ass. He hissed, jerked around, and shot Ian a reproachful look.

Shrugging, Ian flopped back down on the bed, and drew the covers over his head.

'''''''

Daniel considered the tiling of the shower wall. There wasn't anything particularly interesting about it, but … thinking about tiling was much easier than thinking about Ian.

His first impression of Ian didn't change after that new employee orientation. Ian was perfect, and even more frustrating than that, he was effortlessly perfect. Right off the bat, Daniel assumed that Ian liked teasing him because Daniel was easy to tease, or because Ian was a twenty-nine year old bully. It wouldn't have been the first one Daniel had come across.

_Tiling, Daniel. Think about the tiling._

Reaching for the shampoo, Daniel sighed. He heard the door handle rattle, and the bottle nearly slipped through his fingers.

"Daniel?"

Daniel closed his eyes. "What."

There was silence for a moment, and then, "Unlock the door."

Was he serious? Daniel pressed his thumb between his eyes, willing away his quickly forming headache. He shoved the shower curtain open, stepped out on the bathroom floor, dripping everywhere, and grabbed a towel. When it was securely wrapped around his waist, he unlocked the door.

He didn't even get a chance to grasp the handle. It turned, and the door opened to reveal a frowning Ian. "Ok," Ian said, "I should have realized how far into detail we need to go on what I expect from you."

Staring back, Daniel made sure to keep his face blank. "Right now?" he asked, a water droplet falling from his hair.

The curve of Ian's eyebrow had Daniel flushing, and he looked down at the ground. "I have to say," Ian said, "I didn't expect the dry humor."

"Sorry," Daniel muttered, scratching his chest. "Didn't realize there was a clause saying I have to change my personality."

When Ian didn't immediately say anything in response, Daniel wondered if he should have kept his mouth shut. He had been joking about the personality clause, but there certainly were quite a few  _real_ clauses in their agreement that dictated how Daniel was to behave around Ian. He licked his lips, and then ventured a glance up.

Ian was considering him with hooded eyes, but he didn't appear angry. After a moment, his lip curled with amusement. "No," Ian said, "There wasn't." Reaching forward, he curved a thumb around the ridge of Daniel's ear. "And don't think I'm disappointed. This makes me very happy.  _Attitude_  makes me happy."

Somehow the whips came to mind again, and Daniel looked away. Smooth, very smooth how he walked himself into that one.

"Now," Ian said, sliding a finger down Daniel's chest until it hit the towel. With a flick, he undid the fold keeping the towel wrapped around Daniel's waist, and the cloth fell to the ground. "Back to your shower."

Was he going to watch? Well, fine. Daniel turned back around, and awkwardly climbed back into the bathtub. He was about to pull the shower curtain forward when he caught Ian's expression. He dropped his hand. "Water's gonna get on the floor, you know," he muttered, twisting the shower knob towards warm.

There was a rustle of clothes, and Daniel sighed. Ian stepped into the shower behind Daniel, placing a light kiss at the back of his neck. "Well," Ian said, sliding an arm over Daniel's shoulder. "We can't have that, now can we?" Pulling the curtain shut, he reached around Daniel, and picked up the shampoo bottle.

Was … he … yes, fine, he was going to wash Daniel's hair. Daniel stood there, wondering what he should do with himself, while Ian gently worked his fingers against Daniel's scalp. Maybe Daniel was supposed to do something sexy. Moan? No. Definitely, no.

"Relax," Ian murmured. Daniel felt another kiss at the back of his neck.

"Explain what you expect from me," Daniel replied. At least it would give him something to think about while he stood there.

There was a pause. "Well," Ian said finally, "Let's start with the locks."

Daniel blinked. "Locks?"

"Yes, as in you're not allowed to use them."

"Oh..." Daniel replied. He wasn't allowed to use locks? Why? He felt stubborn pushback in the pit of his stomach for a moment, but quashed it. He knew why, it wasn't some mystery. He had agreed to give Ian complete control over him. He couldn't let himself be scandalized by every single rule that went along with that.

"Yes," he said, "Ok. No locks."

"Good," Ian replied. He really did sound pleased. "Now, along that vein … I'm going to be writing up a schedule for you, which you will have to follow to the dot."

"... Ok," Daniel replied, with less conviction.

"You'll be allowed some input," Ian said, as if that was any sort of concession. He gently pushed Daniel under the spray of the shower, continuing his massaging as the water seeped into Daniel's hair.

"How generous," Daniel mumbled. Ian's hands stilled on his head.

"What do  _you_  like, Daniel?" Ian asked.

Daniel turned his head, craning his neck to look at Ian. "Don't tell me that matters?"

The sliver of a smirk Ian gave him sent chills down Daniel's spine. Ian crowded Daniel against the shower wall, his two green eyes catching Daniel in their reflective gaze. He moved in close, so that his lips were just barely touching Daniel's "It does matter."

When Daniel just stared at him, chin tucked in, Ian snorted and dropped his head. With a sigh, he looked back up again. "Or, I could just tell you what you like."

Daniel chose to ignore his offer. "Well, anyway," Daniel said, turning around and elbowing Ian away from him. "I don't see how any of this applies to us. We don't live together."

He had said it as a test. He knew he said it as a test, and Ian, most likely, did too. That's probably what accounted for the awkward silence, how obvious Daniel was being. He did feel a little bit stupid, but they might as well get it out of the way.

A hand rested on his hip. "No, we don't," Ian said clearly. "And that does have to change."

Exhaling, Daniel dipped his head into the water again. What was the word?  _Cohabitation._ Ian wanted to cohabitate with him. He wanted Daniel to move in, and do this twenty-four seven. He wanted Daniel to leave his crappy apartment, and his crappy neighborhood to live in this skyrise tower with the bed that had goose down pillows. With the whips.

"I have a dog." Daniel said.

"Bring the dog."

Well, there went that excuse.

"Seriously," Ian said, "Bring the dog, bring clothes and your favorite movies. We agreed to six months, and I want you to be comfortable here."

Daniel was considering it … which was bad. Or, he was pretty sure it was bad. How long was a respectable time to hold out before giving in to rich younger bosses who wanted him to move in with them? Well, not that Daniel could lay claim to 'respectable' at this point. Oh no, it was far too late for that. He sighed. "We never said anything about living together."

Hands slid down his sides, and he arched into the tingling grip without thinking. There was an approving murmur behind him. "Daniel— " Ian said. He paused, breathing out through his nose with amusement. "—I have to admit, I like this. Having to negotiate each fucking baby step with you." Teeth grazed Daniel's shoulder, nipping him. He winced.

"Alright," Ian said. He ran his tongue on the spot he bit. "Fine. You move in, and your salary gets another bump. Double the percentage we agreed on."

Daniel lowered his eyes. He registered Ian starting to prep him, pushing into him with a gentle finger. He dropped against the tiles, resting on his forearm. Pressing his forehead against the wall, he focused on his breathing. Ian shoved in another finger, all the while rubbing Daniel's back.

Daniel's fingers curled into a fist. "Ok," he said, "But I want it in writing."

 


	2. Chapter 2

After their first meeting in that dingy conference room, Ian had teased Daniel a few times, and made a few jokes about Daniel liking pain that only seemed lame and obvious in retrospect. Finally, he started escalating things. This was a few months after Daniel had met Ian.

He always made sure to do it away from the office, when everyone had piled into a bar and no one was paying attention. He would quickly, and with great ease, herd Daniel into a corner and block him off from the rest of the room. Any person who approached them was granted two minutes of pleasant chatter with the handsome new boss, and then found themselves politely worked out of the conversation.

He would order Daniel's drink for him, and he would also declare when Daniel had had enough. Daniel wasn't exactly a belligerent drunk, so he accepted Ian's odd micromanaging with a shrug, and let him take the drink from his hand.

It hadn't quite reached that point one friday night, when the staff had met at the local bar, and Ian had done his cordoning-off thing with Daniel, trapping him at the end of the bar. Daniel had his drink, which Ian had ordered. He drank it at a measure pace, and briefly wondered when Ian would cut him off.

"I read in your employee file that you've been working here for ten years?"

Daniel, who was leaning casually against the bar and watching a pool game, blinked, and then shrugged. "Almost straight out of college," he said, smiling a little bit. He took a sip from his drink, and set it back on the bar, licking his lips. The alcohol deadened his nervousness around Ian, but it also made him worried about his lowered guard … so, either way he was a mess.

"Promoted twice early on," Ian said, his voice low. Daniel had to lean closer to hear him. "And now you've been in sales for the past six years." Ian shifted, moving his arm behind Daniel, resting it on the bar. Daniel felt fingers slide against his waist, but when he looked down, Ian's knuckles were tapping on the bar in rhythm with the music playing.

Daniel rubbed at his eye. It was a silly thing to imagine anyway. "Yeah," he said, "My entire career in two sentences."

Ah,  _crap_. He did not mean to sound bitter, especially to his new boss. Ian was silent beside him, and Daniel wondered if he could back-pedal somehow. He had heard of people getting fired from their jobs for dumb reasons like not being especially grateful that they were stuck in a cubicle for most of their lives. Daniel was grateful, he was very grateful. He liked being able to pay rent.

"Daniel, look at me." Daniel did, and realized too late that Ian's face was very close to his. He was smiling, and when Daniel glanced at him, his eyes flashed. "You've found somewhere you're comfortable," Ian said, "That's not always a bad thing."

"Unless," he continued, "You want more?"

He had said that with a suggestive voice. Daniel was not imagining it, and he  _definitely_ wasn't imagining the hand on his waist this time. His eyes met Ian's with a jerk, and he saw that Ian was waiting for him to react in some way. Just to be clear, Daniel wasn't couth.

"What the hell does that mean?" he blurted out. He nearly knocked his drink over backing away from Ian. Ian caught his wrist before he could get too far.

"Calm down." Feeling a gentle tug, Daniel followed Ian's lead through the throng of people. The grip on his arm was tight. Ian pulled Daniel all the way to the smoker's exit, where there was a back alley, pushed the door open, and glanced around as they stepped out. When Ian appeared satisfied that no one was there, he turned to Daniel, and suddenly shoved him against the wall of the bar.

"Quite obedient, aren't you?" he asked with a curve of his eyebrow.

Daniel stared, opened-mouth, in shock at being  _shoved_.

He shoved back, his palms hitting flat against Ian's chest, and Ian stumbled back several feet. And then, for extra measure, Daniel stepped forward and shoved him again. Ian hit the wall on the other side of the alley, and he held his hands up. After a moment, he bent over, resting his hands on his knees. He was laughing.

" _What_?" Daniel snapped.

Ian straightened up, still resting against the wall. He was breathing heavily, and he wiped at his brow. It was hard to tell in the darkness of the alleyway, but Daniel was pretty sure he was smirking. "I didn't expect that," Ian said, shrugging. Like it was that simple.

Taking a step back, Daniel considered going back to the bar, and leaving Ian out in the alleyway. They could pretend whatever just happened didn't, and maybe things would be tense at the office for a few days, but it would blow over.

He crossed his arms instead. "You didn't expect me to defend myself?"

"Defend yourself?" Ian replied, scoffing. He looked away from Daniel, and ran his fingers through his hair. After a moment, he let out a frustrated sigh. "Right. Sorry."

Daniel got to enjoy a rare moment of superiority... that was until he realized he had no idea what he was feeling superior about. "I don't want sorry," he said, trying to keep up the momentum of his confident tone. "I want to know why you pushed me. Were you trying to start something?"

The look Ian gave him was irritating. Like Daniel was an adorably oblivious idiot. And just like that, his confidence was gone again. Ian approached him, hand outstretched, and Daniel matched him with a step back. "Uh, no," Daniel said, his back hitting the wall.

Ian stopped. "What happened to defending yourself?" The playfulness in his tone had Daniel tightening his jaw.

"Is this fun?" he spat. He knew his face was red, but he blamed it on the alcohol.

Ian smiled at him. "A lot more than I thought it was going to be."

With a sharp ' _tsk_ ', Daniel slid past him to the door, his hand landing on the knob. He twisted it, and swung the door open with a violent jerk, the echoing sounds of laughter and talking hitting the silent alleyway. Just as he stepped through the door, he looked over his shoulder at Ian, who was now cast in the light from the bar.

He was still smiling, his eyes glinting in the light. "See you tomorrow, Daniel?"

Eyes widening, Daniel gaped at him for a moment, blustering out badly-formed words before regaining control of his vocal chords. There was something so completely unnerving about Ian, and it was probably the way he was looking at Daniel. Daniel swallowed, and then lowered his face. "Ian," he said, "Please be professional."

He slammed the door shut.

''''

Daniel shut his front door with a quiet click. Fumbling around for the light switch, he heard something barrelling down the hallway and grinned as Mugs collided into him. "Shit, Mugs," he laughed, trying to fend away the wiggling boxer. "I just got this suit dry cleaned!"

Kicking off his shoes, he set his backpack by the door, and sped off down the hallway. He could hear Mugs thundering after him, and took a sharp turn into his bedroom. He grabbed for the door, and swung it shut in Mugs' face. A frustrated howl had Daniel shaking his head with amusement.

He shucked his jacket off, and walked to his closet where all of his other somber, boring suits hung. Picking up a free hanger, he slid the jacket on it, and pushed it in between the rest of the clothes. Next went his shirt, his undershirt, and then his pants. He could hear Mugs shuffling and whining on the other side of the door.

"Alright, alright!" he said, laughing, as he opened the door and padded to his dryer with Mugs hot on his heels. "Walk time, right? Daddy can't go naked."

After pulling a ragged t-shirt, and a pair of jeans out of the dryer, and putting them on, he walked back to the front door. He grabbed Mugs' leash from the hook, bending down to click it on his collar. "Quit wiggling," he chuckled, dodging several opportunities to have his face covered in slobber. Standing back up, he slipped his feet into a pair of old flip-flops, and looked down at Mugs. "Ready to go?"

Mugs huffed at him. "Good," he said, and they headed out the door.

He lived in a ground floor apartment. Yes, his neighborhood was bad, but at least the complex and the parking lot were gated. There was a large enough area, with paths that wound around all the apartments in the complex, to take Mugs on a nice walk.

Reaching the mailboxes, he nodded at the security guard by the gate, and pushed in his key. He grabbed his mail, and started off again at a brisk pace. The warm air was pleasant, maybe a little muggy, but nothing to complain about. He let Mugs take the lead, and his mind wandered.

His boss was hitting on him, right?

There were a couple of angles Daniel could look at his interaction with Ian at the bar, but most signs pointed to a very odd form of flirting. He had been startled in the moment, immediately assuming Ian was being violent in the alleyway. Somehow, now that he had time to think about it, it felt as if he read the situation wrong.

But how did he want to read the situation?

Shaking off that thought, Daniel turned for home. Once Mugs was off the leash, and fed, Daniel finally sat down at the kitchen table. He leaned back in his chair for a moment, eyelids drifting shut, and then with a sigh, started sifting through his mail.

The bills were tossed to the side, along with the catalogs. He scanned through a post card from his parents, they were on a vacation in Hawaii, and finally got to a heavy envelope with an embossed seal. Flipping it over, he frowned. It was the formal invitation to his twenty-year high school reunion.

"Shit, I'm old," he muttered, tearing the seal. He slid the invitation out, and something fluttered to the ground. Leaning over, he reached down to pick whatever it was up, and paused.

The piece of paper on the ground was a sticky note. He recognized the handwriting on it. Retracting his hand, he sat back up and left the paper on the ground. Instead, he opened the invitation. He didn't even comprehend the words on the card. His mind was still caught by the note on the ground.

"Damn it," he muttered, slamming the invitation on the table. It had been another ten years already. He glanced down at the note. Ten years, and nothing had changed.

''''

"You shouldn't smoke."

Daniel, who was hunched over the railing of break room's balcony, looked over to see Ian leaning in the glass doorway. A trail of smoke filtered up from Daniel's cigarette. With a snort of derision, he pinched the cigarette between his thumb and pointer finger, and inhaled. Ian watched him, a smile playing on his lips.

After a moment, Daniel lost his gumption. "I don't normally," he said with a cough.

Ian's smile widened into a grin, and he stepped out on the balcony, joining Daniel at the railing. The gentle breeze shifted his hair, a few strands of blonde falling over his eyes. Daniel observed this, scowling, and looked back out at the city. A moment of silence, not one that Daniel would label as comfortable, passed.

"Hey," he barked, "What was friday night about?" He closed his eyes. If anything, age had not brought him subtlety.

"Hmm," Ian replied lightly, "What indeed." He sighed, shifting so that he was turned towards Daniel, his elbow resting on the railing. "You really don't like … " Trailing off, he made a sound of concentration. "Someone courting you, I guess would the right word. However dated."

Daniel shot him a dubious glance. "You talk to everyone like that?"

Ian huffed, his expression breaking out into an overwhelmed smile. "Jesus," he said, "You don't make this easy at all."

Tapping off the ash from his cigarette, Daniel shrugged. Ian's words had made him twitchy. He scratched the back of his neck, his eyes rolling around as he thought of something to say. He couldn't, so he kept quiet. He took another drag from his cigarette, and then dropped his hand, resting his wrist on the railing.

"Am I at least right in thinking you're gay?"

Daniel choked, nearly dropping his cigarette. He looked over at Ian, wiping at his mouth. "How is that even … why would you … " He stopped himself before he got even more incoherent. Slowly, he said, "That is absolutely unimportant in how well I function as your employee, Mr. Clay."

"Ahh," Ian replied, drawing out the sound. "I see. Mr. Clay, is it? Great time for you to start using formalities, Daniel. Very convenient."

Daniel was pretty angry, what with Ian implying that he was somehow responsible at all in this conversation. "I could sue you, you know," he said, "for sexual harassment?"

"Is that a question?" Ian replied, plucking Daniel's cigarette out of his hand, and taking a drag for himself. He chuckled. "Go ahead, I guess." He shot Daniel a smile that held little malice. "You would certainly have a case."

Lips tightening, Daniel glanced away. He heard Ian breath out with amusement. "Daniel," Ian said, and there was a hand on Daniel's wrist. "Is there interest here, or not?"

Oh, there was interest. How could there not be when, at the very least, someone was working so hard to catch Daniel's attention? It was flattering. Daniel couldn't deny that. But … he couldn't fight back that nagging feeling that this was too good to be true. He brushed away Ian's hand, and put some space between them. "What would I get out of it if there was?"

Ian looked surprised. And this time, not amused. "I mean," Daniel continued, "I suppose you want me to be grateful, what with a man so much younger than me, more successful—"

"You're more insecure than I thought!" Ian interjected.

Daniel smiled ruefully. "Is that what attracted you?"

They stared at each other for a moment, and Ian's eyes narrowed. He couldn't even deny it, then. "Whatever," Daniel muttered, pushing away from the railing. He made it two steps before a hand wrapped around his wrist, tugging him to a stop.

"The nervousness, and the stuttering... the way you accept odd commands and orders from me that I really have no right to be making. Those are the type of things that attracted me. Self-esteem had nothing to do with it."

The fingers slid from his wrist, and his arm fell to his side. He turned around to find Ian watching him with a small frown. Ian's words slowly sank in, and Daniel mulled over each one. Nervousness. Stuttering. And lacking a backbone. Those were Daniel's purported charms. What an amazing and life-affirming self-discovery.

"Screw you," he muttered, and Ian cocked an eyebrow. "You know, that doesn't make either of us sound good. You're attracted to wimps, and I am the wimp."

Ian broke into a smile, dropping his head. "That's a little… off-base, " he said, reaching up to muss his hair.

Looking back up, he crossed his arms, and absent-mindedly glanced at his watch. Sighing, he straightened his jacket, and glanced at his reflection in the glass door to fix his hair. "If I was attracted to wimps, I would find myself losing partners more often than not," he said, in an off-hand manner. He glanced over his shoulder at Daniel. "And you're not a wimp."

"Thanks," Daniel replied without thinking.

Ian quirked an eyebrow, a smile slowly widening on his face. "No lawsuit, then?"

"You deserve it," Daniel said, running his hand over his head. "But no, we'll leave it at this."

He couldn't read the expression Ian shot him before turning around. Ian pulled open the door to the break room, and nodded inside. "Come on then," he said to Daniel with a smile, "You don't want the boss to think you've been taking too many breaks."

''''

_Hope you can make it._

_\- R_

Daniel was pretty sure if he dug far enough into his closet, he would find an almost identical sticky note to the one he was crumpling in his hand. It would be ten years old, the glue long gone, and maybe the yellow paper would be faded. But it would still read the same. A ten year old taunt entreating him to show his face.

How exactly Richard got the sticky note in Daniel's envelope,  _both times,_ was beyond him. Richard wouldn't be caught dead on the reunion committee, but … he could probably charm someone else into stuffing the note in the invitation who was.

Daniel set the crushed ball of paper on the bar, and reached into his jacket for the pack of cigarettes. Flipping the top open, he stared at the contents. Only one was missing, the one he had been smoking that afternoon. Who was he kidding? He wasn't a smoker. He was being dramatic, going down to the drug store and buying this pack so he could stare wistfully off into the distance while taking a puff, as if he wanted someone to notice his "torment".

Right. Daniel chuckled, and stuffed the pack back into his pocket. He tapped the bar, and thanked the bartender when another beer was set in front of him. The alcohol would slow down the over-analyzing of every single thing he did, and the subsequent mockery.

"Where's your boyfriend?"

Daniel looked up at the bartender. "Hmm?"

Smiling, she made a tall gesture. "The cute guy, always keeping you to himself."

Daniel was inclined to play dumb a little longer, but he knew this particular bartender was too streetsmart for that. With a shake of his head, he took a sip from his beer. "Not my boyfriend," he said, setting his glass back down on the bar.

"I don't know," she said with a sing-song voice. "He keeps a pretty close eye on you."

With a skeptical eyebrow, Daniel considered her, frown deepening on his face. "He was kind of … on me, wasn't he."

"That's what I'm saying!" she replied, slapping the bar with a grin. She turned around to start organizing the rows of glasses and bottles. "And younger," she said, drawing out the word playfully. "You gonna be a sugar daddy?"

Daniel snorted. "He's my boss, you know."

Without missing a beat, she replied, "Even better! Make him take you somewhere fancy. Oh man, he's cute. Much cuter than the guy you were bringing around before."

Before Daniel could respond, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder. "What guy?"

He could already see the expensive suit in his peripheral vision, and the voice couldn't be mistaken for anyone else. The bartender turned around, and grinned with embarrassment, and Daniel just stared at her, drawing out the moments before he had to respond to Ian. "Mr. Clay," he said, tipping his glass slightly, "I try to keep my personal business away from the office."

"We aren't in the office, Daniel," Ian replied, sliding onto the barstool next to Daniel, all the while keeping his hand well in place on Daniel's shoulder. He squeezed gently, and leaned on his elbow, resting his cheek on his palm. "I take it you're on my side," he said to the bartender, flashing her a dazzling smile.

She laughed, shaking her head. "You win hands down. Especially against the loser this guy was dating before."

"Would you both please  _stop._ " Daniel clutched his beer, and knocked back a gulp. Slamming it down on the bar, he wiped at his mouth. When he was met with silence, he glanced over to find both Ian and the bartender watching his theatrics with curved smiles. He flushed, and dropped his forehead on his knuckles. "I do not have to feel embarrassed about being drunk in a bar," he muttered.

"I'll catch up then," Ian replied, nodding at the bartender. "Give me what he has."

"It's would take quite a few beers to match where he's at," she replied.

Ian chuckled. "Alright, something stronger. You choose."

"Oh!" Daniel said, his eyes narrowed with delight, as he turned to poke at Ian's shoulder. "Her choice,  _her_  choice is it? What happened to your overbearing need to control  _everything?_ "

Ian stared at him with a skeptical expression. With a sigh, he glanced at the bartender. "Much stronger, then."

A second ticked by, with Ian tapping his fingers on the bar. He sighed, and rolled his shoulders, glancing around at the rest of the patrons. Groups of people were at the bar, or standing around the pool table, all laughing, and all having fun. Ian sighed again, and looked back at Daniel. "Did that annoy you? My overbearing need to control everything?"

It would be some sort of concession to say no, wouldn't it? Daniel shot him a dark look, and took another sip from his beer. Not to mention, it was a strange question to ask. He fingered the crumpled ball of paper, and shrugged.

"Hn," Ian said, sounding less than pleased with Daniel's lack of a concrete answer. His drink was set in front of him, and he turned it several times before bringing it to his mouth. He took a long sip, hissed at the burn from the alcohol, and set his glass back down. He leaned closer to Daniel, and pushed the ball of a paper with the tip of his finger. "What is that?".

Again, Daniel remained silent. He expected Ian to unfold the note, but instead he slowly nudged his fingers closer to Daniel's hand. When Daniel didn't immediately jerk back, he pushed even further, intertwining their fingers. Ian did have nice hands. He closed his over Daniel's in a firm grip.

Daniel could only imagine how smug the bartender felt when she turned around to find Ian then pressing soft kisses against Daniel's temple. She hid her smile well as Ian moved on to nibble at Daniel's ear.

"I'm not food," Daniel muttered, curling away a little. A hand slid to the other side of his neck, pulling him back again.

Ian slid off his barstool towards Daniel, standing over him. "Turn your head up," he said, and Daniel complied with little hesitation. Lips pressed down on his own, and he sighed without meaning to. Ian chuckled into his mouth, kissing him harder, seeking entry with his tongue. He wrapped his arms around Daniel, pulling him to arch into the kiss.

Turning his head, Daniel let out a heavy breath, his face flushed. Ian was sucking on his neck and holding him even more tightly. "You're wrinkling my suit," Daniel said, the words sounding faint.

Ian grunted dismissively, and kept kissing Daniel until Daniel started to wriggle away from him. He stopped, dropping his forehead against Daniel's neck. After a moment, he looked back up again, licking his lips. "Ok," he said, "Let's go somewhere."

Daniel was pretty sure going somewhere meant he would be fucked up the ass. He glanced back down at his drink, and tried to calculate whether he was up for it. He scratched at his eyebrow, well aware that Ian was staring at him, still holding him impatiently, and then gripped his glass. With a final chug, he dropped the glass back down on the bar, and slid a few bills under it.

"Let's go," he said, standing up.

Ian dropped his arm to Daniel's waist, and started to herd him towards to door. Daniel let it happen, much like he was letting most of this happen. They hit the street, the warm muggy air doing nothing to clear Daniel's head. "Hey," he said, grabbing onto Ian's arm. "I want somewhere close to the train."

"Somewhere... " Ian replied slowly, "You mean a hotel?"

"Yeah?" Daniel said, dropping his grip on Ian.

"You can stay at m—" Ian began to say, but he must have caught the look on Daniel's face. He considered Daniel for a moment, frowning, and then shrugged. "Fine, but don't complain if it's not a pay-by-the-hour."

Daniel scowled at him, which only had Ian rolling his eyes with a snort. He grabbed Daniel's hand and pulled him down the sidewalk, threading through the late night crowd. Keeping his head lowered, Daniel trotted along, wondering why he had given in so easily. It was one thing to say things like  _don't shit where you eat_  when the opportunity never presented itself, but now here it was. Daniel's boss wanted to sleep with him, and that could not possibly end well.

Or it could. It could end in sex, something Daniel had been tragically lacking as of late, and they would go on their merry way. What a wonderful world.

"I'm afraid to let you think too long," Ian said from in front of him.

Daniel breathed out with amusement. "I promise not to think."

The grip on his hand tightened, and Ian picked up their pace. They were nearing a district popular with tourists, meaning lots of public transport, and lots of hotels. Passing several inns that would have been perfectly acceptable, Daniel narrowed his eyes with growing suspicion when Ian kept pulling him closer to the swankier establishments.

"I can't afford... " he said, trailing off. Ian came to dead halt, and Daniel thudded into him with surprise.

"Listen to me, Daniel," Ian said, turning around. He clasped Daniel's arms, and stared him straight in the eyes. " _I_ want to go somewhere nice,  _I_ am willing to pay for it. We're not going to waste time arguing about this. If it really pisses you off, you are certainly welcome to come up with a payment plan for half  _some other time_."

Daniel gaped at him. This was enough an opening for Ian, apparently, who grabbed Daniel's hand again, and set off at an even more urgent pace. And, of course, he chose the Rose Tower, an extremely fancy independant hotel. He dragged Daniel past the bellhops and through the lobby.

The rushing had Daniel shaking his head with amusement. Was it really that questionable whether he would follow through with this?

He hung back while Ian got the room, kicking his feet and wondering how obvious the two of them looked. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, he was just about to take a look at the tourist brochures when he realized he had forgotten something at the bar. The note. Richard's note. He turned towards the door, got one step, and was jerked to a stop.

"That would be pretty cruel."

Looking around, Daniel found Ian watching him with hooded eyes. He relaxed into Ian's grip. It was just a piece of paper with a few words on it. He still had the other one in his closet somewhere. Besides, the bartender must have thrown it out by then.

"I wasn't going anywhere," Daniel said. Ian snorted, clearly not believing Daniel's words. He held up the room key, and nodded towards the elevator with a curve of his eyebrow. Flushed with the courage that only alcohol gave him, Daniel nodded too. Ian smiled then, and once against pulled Daniel along behind him.

The elevator doors shut with a ding, and they were alone. Daniel considered the mood, and leaned over to leave a light peck on Ian's cheek. "I want to be here."

Ian looked at him. "I was starting to wonder if I was kidnapping you or something," he said, his expression smoothing out with relief.  _Jesus_ , was Daniel that unreliable? He shifted closer to Ian, pressing his face into the crook of Ian's neck. An arm wrapped around his waist, drawing him closer. "Although," Ian said, "The idea of ravishing you has its appeal."

Snorting, Daniel nudged against Ian's neck, kissing the warm skin. Ian murmured with appreciation, sliding his hand into Daniel's hair. "Stealing your honor, having you moan beneath me... "

"You're not exactly my first time," Daniel replied, laughing.

Ian chuckled. "I can only imagine how hard it was for that poor bastard."

Dinging, the doors opened. Ian moved to step out, and Daniel caught his wrist. "It's not about playing hard to get, or whatever," Daniel said, and Ian looked back around at him. "We work together. You're my  _boss_."

Ian considered Daniel for a second, and then exhaled through his nose. "Come on," he said, keeping the elevator doors from closing between them. Daniel nodded, and followed him down the low-lit hallway. "If shit hits the fan over something like this," Ian said, "I would leave, Daniel. I would make sure there wasn't any trouble for you."

"You make it sound like it's something that's happened before," Daniel replied.

Ian shrugged. "Let's just say I don't hold the workplace as sacred."

Reaching their room, Ian slid the key into the card slot, and pushed the door open. Daniel followed him, feeling a little bit more self-conscious. Now that they weren't just having a chat as they walked along, now that they were actually in a hotel room, Daniel was coming to the full realization that he would have to undress in front of this person.

Ian seemed to be less worried. He sat on the bed, shucking his jacket off. "Alright, Daniel," he said, "Start with your shoes and work your way up."

Daniel blinked at him. "Excuse me?"

Unbuttoning his cuffs, Ian looked up at him with an expectant smirk. He crossed his legs. "Or start with your jacket and work your way down, whichever is fine."

There definitely had been a subtle shift in Ian's demeanor. He leaned back on his hands, tilting his head as he watched Daniel with delight flashing in his green eyes. He cocked an eyebrow expectantly, and Daniel frowned.

"You too," Daniel said. His head may still have been light from the beer, but he knew an unfair deal when he saw one.

Ian grinned at him. "Do as I say, Daniel."

Unsurprisingly to Daniel, his heartbeat picked up from the way Ian was observing him. Hell, if it made him excited, why not? He reached to pull off his jacket, his hand working under his collar, but then he stopped. Maybe it was exciting, but it was also a little weird. He crossed his arms, and frowned at Ian.

"Are you disobeying me?" Ian asked. He stood up, approaching Daniel. "That's pretty brave."

Daniel stared at him, mouth in a flat line. "You sound like a serial killer."

Ian paused, his gaze moving slightly off to the side. "Right," he said. He reached up and started to unbutton his shirt. Daniel mimicked him, which led to a very awkward showdown. He moved slowly, his fingers shaking as he undid each button. Ian was more relaxed, but also took his time. When they were both done, shirts hanging loose, Daniel swallowed, letting out a small chuckle.

"Can I undress you, then?" Ian asked. Daniel shrugged.

Smiling, Ian reached for Daniel, pulling him to the bed, and pushing him down so that he was sitting. He slid his hand down Daniel's arm, and then tugged at the sleeve, pulling his shirt off. He flattened it against his chest, and then expertly folded it, setting it on the other bed.

Daniel snorted, but he appreciated the consideration. When Ian came back, watching Daniel with hooded eyes, Daniel's amusement ebbed as nervousness started to take over. Ian reached for his undershirt, and Daniel shoved his hand against Ian's chest without thinking. "What?" Ian asked, his eyebrows drawing together.

"This feels a lot like you checking out the situation before committing to anything," Daniel muttered, his eyes on the ground.

"Oh," Ian replied. He sounded dumbfounded. Without saying another word, he dropped his own shirt, stretched out of his undershirt, and quickly moved to unbuckle his belt. Daniel was caught up in the display, his eyes glued to Ian's chest.  _Shit_ , now Daniel was the one committing to something. To taking off his shirt in front of this fucking hard body.

Completely oblivious to Daniel's thoughts, Ian slid his belt out the belt loops, and dropped it on the ground. He straightened, exhaling, and stared at Daniel. "Alright," he said. "So far you've pretty much diva-d your way through this. Mind humoring  _me_  for a moment?"

Daniel licked his lip, but nodded.

"Ok," Ian said. He popped his thumb up. "Move it."

Daniel stood up hesitantly, and they switched positions, Ian sitting on the bed, and Daniel standing in front of him. A moment passed, and then he realized he was supposed to be undressing. He curled his fingers under the hem of his shirt, and pulled it over his head.

"What are the things you're comfortable with, Daniel?" Ian asked, watching Daniel drop the shirt to the ground.

Daniel reached for his belt buckle. "Comfortable with?" he said distractedly, trying to force his still-sloshed motor skills to work right. He finally got the belt out of the buckle, and tugged it out of the belt loops. "You can fuck me, if that's what you're worried about."

"That's not … entirely what I meant," Ian replied.

Daniel was still engrossed with trying to figure out how zippers worked, when hands suddenly shoved him backwards, his ass hitting the edge of the hotel room desk. Jerking his face up with surprise, he grunted when lips pressed forcefully against his own. He almost gave into it when he suddenly realized Ian was trying to bind his wrists together with his tie.

"Fuck off!" he snapped into Ian's mouth, thrusting his shoulder against Ian's chest. Ian fell backwards several feet, stumbling onto the bed.

Daniel pulled the tie from his wrists with his teeth. Thankfully it was still loose. It dropped to the ground, but Daniel was already focused on Ian. "What the  _fuck_ ," he breathed, keeping his body coiled in case Ian tried anything else.

Ian stared back at him, eyes shooting sparks. He sat up and jabbed a finger at Daniel. "No, that's  _my_  question," he said, "I read the fucking signs, Daniel. Why are you being so stubborn about this?"

"The  _signs_?" Daniel replied, "Are you insane?"

Ian looked ready to start screaming. "Yes, the signs," he said through gritted teeth. "You're submissive, you like men dominating you. Every single time I've tested you, you passed with flying colors. Ok, Daniel? I've been watching you, and you sent all of the right signals. I know how to look out for these things."

"And that's always worked for you, has it?" Daniel seethed back, his hands curling into fists. "Never came across any complications, did you?"

Narrowing his eyes, Ian scowled. "Never."

Daniel let out a harsh laugh. "Oh, really?" he said, "Did you ever stop to think those poor saps just didn't want to look like pussies in front of the hot guy?"

Ian looked genuinely startled, which only made Daniel even more furious. "You just admitted that you prey on weak-willed people, Ian," he said, "You watch for these  _signs_ in men, and then you charm them, take them home for sex, and then— "

Pausing, Daniel's lip curled. "Then you pull this shit? Without talking about it?"

Ian looked away, his eyes darting back and forth as if he was scanning through every memory of past encounters, looking at them from different perspectives. He swallowed, and ran his fingers through his hair. "They never seemed scared," he said, looking back up at Daniel, "I ask if they're ok, and they always act really into it!"

"Calm down," Daniel replied. He hadn't expected Ian to get so upset. With a sigh, he moved to the bed, and sat beside Ian, resting a hand on his shoulder. "You asked if they were ok?"

"Always," Ian replied with a steady voice. "I always check with them, and they never complain." He leaned into Daniel's hand. "Do you really think it was because they were intimidated?"

Daniel considered him quietly for a beat, and then shrugged. "I wouldn't know," he said, "I wasn't there."

"But you were here," Ian replied, "Did it seem like I was... "

"It seemed like you were trying to tie my hands without my permission," Daniel said, his tone short. "Without any warning, without any prior discussion. We don't know each other well enough to do that kind of thing."

Ian was nodding along with Daniel's words. "I'm sorry," he said, "I just... uh—" He scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed grin. "Part of the fun is circling each other, getting the feeling that he wants it, you know? You make me want to call all those guys and ask if I really fucked up."

"If they said they were fine with it..." Daniel replied, "Well, it still isn't good the way you approach things."

Nodding again, Ian's smile became more bemused. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes going off to the side. "Hmm," he said, the corners of his lips curling. "I see. And did the way I approach things with you ruin any chance of ending this night on a high note?"

As he said this, he set his hand on Daniel's thigh, leaning in. His fingers curled inwards, gripping tightly. "Nothing fancy," he said, "I promise."

Daniel frowned. He was... disappointed by the proposition of 'nothing fancy', but it seemed inappropriate to let Ian do whatever it was he had been planning after chastising him so soundly. Only on rare occasions did Daniel get to take the moral high ground over someone so confident and obviously used to getting what he wanted (and by rare, Daniel meant never at all.)

Sighing, he shrugged. Ian grinned at his exaggerated nonchalance, and Daniel immediately felt stupid. "Fuck off," he muttered ineffectually. Ian's grin widened, and he turned Daniel's face towards him with a gentle touch. Before Daniel could protest, he placed a sweet kiss on Daniel's lips, and then drew back. "Was that alright?"

Daniel made a sharp 'tsk'.

"Yes?" Ian replied, grazing his hand closer to Daniel's groin, making Daniel's breath hitch. "How about this?"

Daniel squinted at him with annoyance. "So, you're going to act like a kid?"

The look Ian shot him was filled with amusement. Eyes glinting, Ian cupped Daniel's crotch, shifting towards him, forcing Daniel to fall back on his elbows. "A kid wouldn't be nearly as polite as you're making me be," Ian said, licking his lips. His face was inches from Daniel, his lips set in a cool smirk.

"It's just common sense," Daniel replied flatly. He turned his head. "Don't be a dick just because you couldn't bully me into doing what you wanted."

The hand cupping his groin moved, massaging in languid patterns. Daniel exhaled, heat flooding to his cock. He swallowed, and then shoved Ian's hand away. "Alright, alright," he muttered tightly, kicking his shoes off. He dragged himself backwards on the bed, until he hit the headboard, and collapsed on overstuffed pillows.

"Good," Ian said lightly, reaching for his fly. Daniel scowled.

Ian was tanned, and muscled. Obviously he spent dedicated time at the gym, working those rounded, hard-as-rock shoulders. Daniel's hands flew to his own zipper, and this time he managed to pull it down with a graceless jerk. Shit, he knew he was being careless, but...  _God._ This man who was eight years Daniel's junior— no, not even that, it was how determined he was to sleep with Daniel.

 _That_  made Daniel unbelievably hot.

Especially since not being allowed to tie Daniel up didn't seem to cool his ardor in the least bit. Ian was eyeing Daniel with a feral grin. He dropped his pants to the ground, stepping out of them to kneel on the bed "That's quite the view," he said. Daniel could have said the same about him.

"You look like a queen bitch in heat, nestled on those pillows," Ian said, his voice low.

Daniel blinked, and then rolled his eyes. "Please don't kill the moment."

Ian chuckled, inching closer to Daniel. The bed dipped under his weight with each slide of his knees. "What kind of talk do you like, then?" he asked, bending forward to drop his hands on Daniel's ankles. "No bitch stuff, huh? Ok, how about baby, or—"

"I have to ask," Daniel said, cutting over Ian. "What do you get out of teasing me?"

Ian hummed in reply, cocking an eyebrow and crawling closer, bracing himself over Daniel. His blonde hair had fallen into his green eyes, and he looked even younger than he usually did. Like a boy playing a prank.

"You tortured kids like me in high school, didn't you?" Daniel drawled.

Ian's lips twitched. "And it was so much fun."

He leaned down to steal Daniel's lips in a kiss, and Daniel sat back limply for a moment, then rolled up into it, wrapping an arm around Ian's shoulders and pulling him closer. He could feel Ian's self-satisfied grin against his mouth.

Ian broke the kiss, and shoved Daniel back down on the pillows, rising up and sitting over Daniel with hooded eyes. Daniel eyed the erection straining against Ian's briefs, and his mouth ran dry. He reached out, stroking the hardness, and licked his lips. His eyes moved up to meet Ian's.

"Enough," Ian muttered, brushing away Daniel's hand. He bent forward, and with a forceful tug, pulled Daniel's pants and underwear down, lifting Daniel's legs to get them over his knees. He threw them over the edge of the bed, and then turned back.

He looked like he wanted to ask Daniel something. Daniel frowned at him. "What?"

"No," Ian replied, lowering himself down slowly onto Daniel. "Nothing."

Daniel drew in a labored breath, his chest expanding slowly under Ian's weight. Only the thin material of Ian's briefs separated their cocks. Ian shifted, rolling his hips, and Daniel arched up, inhaling sharply. He grabbed Ian's shoulders, and moved with him as the heat seemed to collect and build through his body.

" _Shit._ " he breathed. Ian thrusted against him. "Nnn!"

"Don't bite your tongue," Ian laughed, looking up Daniel, all the while keeping up with his slow rocking. He brushed the hair away from Daniel's forehead. Daniel's eyelids lowered, his lips parting. He felt fingers nudge between he and Ian, pulling Ian's briefs down, and then Ian's hot erection was moving against Daniel's, and Daniel closed his eyes entirely. Ian's fingers wrapped around both cocks, jacking them off.

"Fuck," Daniel said, reaching to touch too, but Ian smirked at him and grabbed his wrist. He shoved Daniel's hand above his head, and held it there. Daniel wanted to curse at him, but the words were lost on his tongue when he let out a tense gasp, his hearing blinking in and out.

Ian dropped his grip on their cocks, and caught Daniel's free hand, forcing him to lift it to the other. Daniel's fingers curled into fists, which he pressed tightly together... not that it would have made a difference, because Ian was still pinning his wrists down.

Moaning, Daniel bucked upwards, only to be shoved back down on the mattress. He looked up at Ian with hazy eyes, his lip curling. "You just want me to lie here like a blow up doll?"

"Yeah," Ian said, driving himself against Daniel, earning another moan. He grinned wickedly at Daniel, his eyes narrowed with pleasure. "No good?" His hand circled their cocks again, and jacked rapidly, building heat quickly with the friction.

Daniel clawed into the sheets, his toes curling. "No, good!"

"Which is it?"

"Fuck you," Daniel spat through gritted teeth, his feet sliding up the mattress. It felt so hot, every nerve in his body focusing on the contact point between he and Ian. He could feel the buildup reaching its apex, and suddenly the need for release was strangling him. Ian's hand pinched down, and Daniel had to choke down another curse.

"Which is it?" Ian repeated.

Daniel looked up at him with angry shock. After a moment, he bit his lip, and dropped his legs back down. "Good," Daniel panted, turning his head to the side. He gasped when Ian resumed his harsh stroking.

He uttered a nonsensical sound when release hit him, and then Ian grunted. Daniel felt hot cum hit his stomach, and he groaned, melting down against the pillows. Slowly, Ian collapsed on top of him.

They both breathed heavily, panting through the come down. Daniel's extremities were still tingling. He coughed, clearing his throat, and opened his mouth to say something when Ian placed a gentle kiss on his temple. "Don't worry," Ian said, his voice heavy and sated. He pushed his hands into Daniel's sweaty hair, combing through the locks. "Your boss probably won't notice if you sneak in late tomorrow."

"Ian—"

"So," Ian cut over him, "Lets go again in a few, yeah?"

Daniel released a heavy sigh, his eyelids drooping. He would have to get home the next morning to feed Mugs (thank god Daniel hired that kid to check in during the evenings), and then come all the way back to the city—

Ian nipped at his ear, bringing his thoughts to a dead halt. Daniel could already feel him getting hard again. And that last orgasm was... Well, it was probably worth a repeat.

"Yeah," Daniel said, brushing his hand down Ian's back. "Ok."


	3. Chapter 3

When Daniel saw all of the email piled in his inbox, he decided that the small latte he had clutched in his hand would definitely  _not_ be enough.

He was drained. Double the commute—from the hotel to his apartment, and then back to the city—and it was only a quarter past nine. Mugs was particularly upset at Daniel's all-night absence, and showed his displeasure by knocking over the kitchen trash can and spreading its contents about the house.

After cleaning the mess up, Daniel had rushed through a shower, put on a clean suit, and was right back out the door within half an hour. He stopped at the Starbucks a block from his office, and managed to be late by only fifteen minutes.

Sitting in his ergonomic chair, sipping his latte, he finally allowed himself five seconds to close his eyes. Just as he let out a sigh, he heard the ding of an incoming email, and grimaced. He was not so nearly vital to the company as to warrant quite so much communication this early in the morning.

He set down his latte, and looked at his inbox. "Really," he muttered under his breath. It was a message from Ian. Or rather, it was a subject line of 'YOU LEFT?', and nothing in the actual email except for  _Sent from my iPhone._

Deleting the email, Daniel gathered himself to face the correspondence that was actually important to his job when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out, and stared at the screen. Unknown number. He pressed the 'accept call' button.

"Hello?"

"Daniel," Ian's voice said through the phone. "I just know you're out getting bagels for the two of us, and not sitting in your cubicle right now— although, my first preference would have been for you to be in bed when I woke up, and  _I_ would have gotten said bagels."

Daniel blinked, and then slowly sat back in his chair, completely lost for words.

"Or rather, we would have ordered room service. In any case, every scenario involved you being here when I woke up."

Daniel dropped his head a little, smiling. He pushed his foot on the ground, just slightly twirling his ergonomic chair. "You're  _very_  charming," he drawled.

There was a light chuckle on the other end. "I hope my sincerity is coming through."

"Loud and clear." Leaning forward, Daniel started scrolling through his email. "Unfortunately, I am in my cubicle, and there will be no bagels."

"I could always pick them up on my way in and have you eat them in front of everyone."

"So you're planning on working today?"

Another chuckle. And then somewhat wistfully, "You really aren't coming back?"

Daniel's lips thinned. The high of such a flirtatious conversation had finally caught up to him, and suddenly he was all nerves, tapping on his spacebar, pushing his chair from side to side. "Ah, well," he said, and then let out a strained laugh. Hunching his shoulders, he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Hmm," Ian replied, "I thought not."

"No, it's just—" A another ping of a new email, and Daniel froze. The sender was R. Saccone.

"Daniel?"

"Ah," Daniel said, blinking, tearing his eyes away from his email. He scratched his forehead, leaning down closer to his desk and lowering his voice. "The thing is..."

There was no thing, he didn't really have anything to finish that sentence with. His mouth was doing him the favor of spitting out random words while his mind was still hopelessly glued to that unopened email. "...Work."

"Work," Ian repeated flatly. He drew in a long breath. "Alright, that's... reasonable."

Daniel opened his mouth to respond, but heard the telltale click of being in a one-sided conversation. He sighed, and set his phone down on the desk.

Just what was Ian expecting from him, exactly—well, he couldn't focus on that. Not with an email from Richard sitting unopened in his inbox. He stared at his computer screen, fingers pressed lightly on the mouse. Biting his lip, he tapped the button, and closely scanned the contents of the email.

**Dani,**

**I'll be in town next week. Let's meet for drinks.**

**Richard**

Succinct, as always. Daniel snorted, and then clicked down to the next email as if he didn't care about the one from Richard, but his eyes were glazed over, blurring the words on the screen. It was so like Richard to throw a curveball, ask to meet months before the reunion, just when Daniel was coming to terms with the idea of meeting him again at all. And next  _week_?

Daniel fell back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head. He felt restless all of sudden, trapped in that cubicle, weighted down by real world responsibilities that didn't involve angsting over Richard. What would have his morning been like if he didn't get up at six, and rush out of the hotel room while taking cautious pains not to wake Ian?

He probably would have laid wide-awake, blinking up at the ceiling until Ian stirred, and then he would have chickened out, and gone to hide in the shower. There wouldn't have been any expectation of room service.

And now, was Ian mad at Daniel? He did hang up on him, but it felt more like resignation than anger. Maybe Ian had finally reached his limit with Daniel's attitude... Daniel wasn't sure if he was disappointed by that.

 _Christ,_ next  _week._

"Shit," Daniel muttered. He should get a haircut. He should buy a new suit. He should...

He shouldn't. He shouldn't even reply to Richard's email. He was too old, too smart to fall into that trap again. A ten year buffer sat between the last time he saw Richard, and now. Enough time, certainly, for Daniel to grow an immunity against this... whatever he was feeling.

Damn, if only he hadn't broken up with his boyfriend. At least he would have been armored with a relationship against the inevitable K-O Richard would inflict on him. Of course, Daniel's asshole ex was completely useless, so maybe it was better off this way. He would just pretend the email didn't exist, and trudge his way through work until he could finally go home and spend some quality time with no one.

The stalemate of distraction was broken by the thud of a stack of papers landing on his desk. Glancing up, he found the amused face of his floor manager staring back down at him. "You need to get through these before the end of the quarter," his floor manager said, "There are quite a few inconsistencies."

"Inconsistencies?" Daniel replied, leafing through the papers, "With the—"

The floor manager had walked off. Daniel eyed his departure with a scowl, and then dumped the stack back on his desk. Releasing a heavy sigh, he grabbed the top sheet and started scanning the lists of orders and payments.

Several minutes passed, he took a sip of his coffee. Then he was on to the next sheet, and the next, and quickly enough he was absorbed in his work, the coffee cooling to lukewarm in its cup. There was something relaxing and methodical— controlled even, in keeping his mind focused on the rows of numbers. He was so deeply immersed, that the sudden thump of a paper sack landing on his desk sent him reeling backwards.

There was a light chuckle. "Bagels, princess, as threatened."

Daniel's head dropped back and he looked directly up at Ian, who was standing over him in a fresh suit, his hair expertly slicked back. Ian bent forward, resting his palms on the back of Daniel's chair, his grin widening exponentially. "And now you have to eat them."

Glancing at the overstuffed bag, Daniel's eyebrows rose. "All of them?"

Ian murmured in the affirmative, reaching forward to pull a bagel out of the bag, along with a plastic knife and a small package of cream cheese. To Daniel's complete bafflement, he sawed the bagel in half, right there in Daniel's cubicle, and gracefully smeared the cream cheese in an even spread. He handed the half over with a flourish, his eyes flashing expectantly.

"Only if you want to," he said, "But you are required to eat this one, at the very least."

Daniel first gawked at him, and then the presented bagel half. Then at the surrounding cubicles. There were definitely people gawking back.

"Uuuh," he said, the sound escaping his lips involuntarily. "Just got in— um, Mr. Clay?"

Ian never even wavered. He just smiled knowingly, grabbed Daniel's wrist, and pushed the bagel into his hand. Flushing red, Daniel started opening and closing his mouth like a damn guppy, trying to think of something he could say loud enough that would cover up this situation. As he panicked, Ian calmly lifted the stack of papers on Daniel's desk. "These are last quarter's orders?"

Daniel swallowed, blinking rapidly. "Um, yes..."

"I heard from Ted that there were too many orders for the amount of money we brought it," Ian said, flipping through the forms.

"Yes—"

"Start eating."

"Yes," Daniel said quickly, and tore a piece of the bagel off, stuffing it in his mouth. Ian eyed this with a keen interest. His lip curled upwards.

"And you were assigned to fix the problem?"

Daniel nodded, mouth full.

"I see," Ian replied. "When you're done, would you bring them to my office?"

Gaping, all Daniel could do was nod again. Ian's green eyes narrowed wickedly, and he set the papers back down on Daniel's desk. "Good boy," he said. "Very good."

''''''

"You caught me off guard."

Ian glanced up from his desk, pen in hand, and looked at Daniel with raised eyebrows.

"That's why I..." Daniel said slowly, crossing his arms over his middle. He shifted on his feet. "That's why I ate the bagel, and why I acted so..."

"I understand," Ian replied. He lifted his shoulders in a light shrug, the lines of his crisp white shirt flattering every angle of his upper body. He leaned back in his chair, and tossed his pen on the desk. "It wasn't that you like being ordered around, definitely not that." Cocking his head, he studied Daniel with a bemused smile. "There's no way the idea of me standing over you, telling you what to do, making you uncomfortable in front of all your co-workers  _excites_  you. That's impossible _._ "

Daniel could have leapt across that giant desk and strangled him. Instead, he nervously played with his sleeve, his eyes flicking off to the side. "Right." Breathing out through his nose, he bit his lip before saying, "Acting like that in the office is just—"

"I already told you," Ian cut over him, "I don't hold the workplace as sacred."

"So, you don't care if you get fired?"

Ian shrugged, and Daniel had to catch himself before his jaw dropped. "Well, I do," Daniel snapped, "I care a lot. I'm not young, the economy is shit. I don't need you fucking this up for me."

Holding his palms up in a calming gesture, Ian smiled. "Okay," he said, "I'm sorry." A moment passed, with Ian just observing him. "Quite the little worrier, aren't you?"

"These are normal things to worry about!" Daniel replied, his hands waving in the air. He could feel the frustration and panic rising in his gut, twisting his insides. He took a step closer to Ian, gripping the chair in front of Ian's desk. "What dreamland do you live in that allows playing mind games like this at your  _job_?"

He hadn't realized how upset he was. He clutched his chest, his eyebrows pinching together, and then gave Ian a beseeching look, unable to voice the fear hitting his stomach. He was somewhat relieved to see concern reflected back at him. "Daniel..." Ian said slowly, rising from his chair.

"This isn't fun for me," Daniel breathed, shaking his head.

Ian held out a placating hand. "Alright," he said, his voice soft. "Come here, come to me."

Staring back with disbelief, Daniel released a sound of pure frustration, but Ian simply kept gently waving him over like he was a lost child. Daniel refused. He shook his head, running a dry tongue over chapped lips. "No," he said stiffly, "I don't think you understand— " Choking, he closed his eyes. So, he hadn't quite got the handle on himself that he thought he had.

"Okay— okay," Ian said, and he was wheeling his chair around the desk, rolling it up to the one clutched in Daniel's vice-like grip. "Just... sit down," he said, pulling at Daniel, unclenching Daniel's hands and directing him to sit in the chair. Daniel plopped down, his hands in his lap, and Ian lowered himself in his own chair.

Their legs criss-crossed each other, and Ian leaned forward, bracing himself on Daniel's knees. They sat like that for a moment, breathing quietly, and then a soft sigh escaped Ian's lips. "You're really cute," he said, laughingly, like he was surprised.

Looking up, Daniel scowled. "What if that was a panic attack?"

"Do you get those?"

"No."

Ian nodded, gently rubbing his hand against Daniel's leg. "They were just bagels, Daniel. Everyone thinks we're friends anyway, since I monopolized all your time at the bar."

"But people were watch—"

"Friends can bring each other food, Daniel."

"Would you let me get one sentence out?" Daniel said bitingly. He shoved at Ian's hand, clawing the fingers off his leg. "Being domineering during sex is one thing, but to take it into the real world..."

"I like to have my fun," Ian replied, and Daniel looked up at him. There was nothing apologetic in Ian's green eyes... he was really shameless. Fingers traced along Daniel's jaw, brushing his skin. "You're right, of course," Ian continued. "I'm toeing a very dangerous line. But I like to live the way I want to, and if that means using my job as a vehicle for my desires—"

"You're really..." Daniel snarled.

"Now who's not letting people finish?" Ian said with a glint in his eye. "What I'm trying to say is, I know I'm selfish, but it's not a fetish of mine to make people unhappy."

Daniel stared back suspiciously, his lip curled.

"So," Ian said, with an air of finality. "If you tell me to stop completely, right now, I promise to drop the whole thing."

"—But," he said when Daniel opened his mouth, "I still want to be friends with you."

Daniel shut his jaw, eyeing Ian with annoyance. Finally, he let out a weary sigh and then nodded before dropping his forehead in his palms. He felt a hand ruffle his hair. "Don't say it," Daniel barked.

"Say what?"

"That I'm a good boy."

He heard a light chuckle. "Oh, no," Ian replied, "I wouldn't say that." There was more ruffling, Ian twisting a lock of Daniel's hair around his finger, and then pulling with a small tug. "...You haven't been good at all."

''''''

"It's actually a little disappointing, how little I've done." Ian took a sip from his cola, and set it down on the break room table. "I've always had a lot of fantasies, but it's so hard to find the perfect mix of someone you're attracted to, who's also willing to take part in those fantasies."

Murmuring in polite agreement, Daniel speared a leaf from his chicken salad, and shoved it in his mouth. He chewed for several, drawn-out moments, while Ian waited for a response. He swallowed, and scratched at the corner of his mouth. "The internet?" he put forth, finally.

When Ian said that he wanted them to be friends... apparently he hadn't meant it as a formality. Not only that, but he also seemed to find Daniel to be the perfect sounding board for his sexual frustrations. He was sitting with Daniel, looking completely out of place in the employee break room, with his expensive tie flipped over his shoulder, and his cuffs unbuttoned.

"Oh, the internet," he said, chuckling, lifting his cola in a mock toast. "Perfect for finding specific partners for specific kinks, but I haven't had any success in finding the  _one_."

Daniel took a second to fully digest what Ian had said, and then he cocked an eyebrow. "You want a long term relationship with all of—" Pausing, he tilted his head, thinking, and then held his wrists together. Ian stared at Daniel's hands, and then shot him a wry smile.

"Yes," Ian said, "With that."

Nodding, Daniel picked up his fork. "That must be hard. I mean, with what you were saying. Someone who wants to do that long term." He sniffed. "Although, I still think the internet would be the easiest..."

"You have a lot of experience, then?"

Daniel looked up at Ian with pursed lips. This earned him a light chuckle. "Alright, alright," Ian said lightly, "You really aren't fond of jabs, are you?"

"Is anyone?" Daniel muttered, biting a piece of chicken off of his fork.

Ian rested his chin on folded hands, and smiled. " _Anyway_ , some of the things I want aren't exactly orthodox—"

He stopped at the dark look Daniel was aiming his way, and held his palms up. "Let me finish," he said, "What I mean is, I like to have things done my way, not anything horrible, but not necessarily following the established rules either. And because of that, it's hard to find someone willing."

"Right," Daniel replied, "And all those guys who showed  _signs_?"

Ian shook his head. "With them, I never did anything beyond what I was doing with you, tying their hands, taking control of when they could come." Leaning back, he shrugged. "But, see, those times were so much more satisfying than when I found someone with my kinks online, even if I hadn't done much with them. Because there was attraction."

Still skeptical, Daniel set his fork down and crossed his arms. "It wasn't that they were experiencing real fear?"

"You know," Ian replied, eyeing Daniel with a measured gaze. "I called them, after all, each and every one."

Daniel's crossed arms dropped slightly.

"And with a few, you weren't far off. They had been flattered, liked me well enough, and may have been a little scared when I bound them, but didn't say anything," Ian said, his eyes downcast. "So, basically... I'd been a inconsiderate asshole through most of my favorite sexual experiences."

There was a rueful twinge to the corner of his lips. "Thankfully, I can still cherish  _our_  night together without guilt." He took another sip of his cola. "See, I... it's just, I loved the idea that it was organic, that I had found these men who craved dominance through my own ability to recognize them."

"That's a fantasy," Daniel replied, and Ian looked at him with sharp, green eyes.

"Yes," he said, nodding his head. "It seems that way."

"Maybe if you just started dating," Daniel said, "Found someone who trusts you, and then broach the—"

"And what happens when it scares them off?" Ian cut in, "I'm left with a broken heart."

Daniel snorted without thinking. "A broken heart..." he trailed off, the words dying in his mouth when he saw the way Ian was looking at him. "That's very romantic," he finished lamely.

"You don't believe in love?" Ian replied, cocking an eyebrow.

Looking down at his chicken salad, Daniel shrugged. "Well, I'm thirty-seven, and without a partner. What does that tell you?"

"Not much," Ian said. Daniel glanced up to see him smiling warmly. "There's got to more to the story than your age and your current relationship status. A lot of people are single at thirty-seven. Not everything works out perfectly."

Daniel exhaled. "What insight from someone not even out of their twenties."

"Fair enough," Ian replied, chuckling. "Ok. But you managed to skirt the question. Do you believe in love or not?"

"It's not like I don't think it exists," Daniel said, "I just haven't..."

He wondered how the conversation had been turned around so quickly, he hadn't planned on talking about himself with Ian. Also, he found the subject of believing or not believing in love a little over the top, and far too philosophical for his taste. "I've had a few bad relationships," he said finally, "And nothing that lasted very long."

"Why do you think that is?" Ian replied, as if he was fascinated, leaning forward and resting his chin on his palm. He could keep eye contact like no other person Daniel had ever met before.

Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his seat, and dropped his gaze. "I feel like a dog when you do that," he muttered.

Laughing, Ian tapped his finger on the table. "Answer the question."

"If this another one of your tests—"

"I told you," Ian cut in gently, "That's over with. I just want to know what you think about why your relationships never lasted very long."

Daniel licked his lips, playing with his napkin. "Who knows," he said with a forced tone, "Probably stuck on my first love or something." He tried to laugh, to signify that what he said was a joke, but the sound came out more as a choked cough. He tightened his jaw, and looked away.

Normally, he probably wouldn't have said something hitting so close to home, but he was feeling a little off keel, a little vulnerable. That day was the day he was supposed to meet up with Richard, after work, at the bar. Yes, he had summed up the wherewithal to reply to Richard's email— well, who was he kidding, he didn't need to sum up anything.

It was an addiction that he had stifled for ten years. And the thing with addictions was, they never go away. Not for real, and never entirely. The second he had seen that note in his reunion invitation, his fate had already been sealed.

"Tell me about him, then," came Ian's low voice.

Sighing, Daniel looked out at the balcony. The sky was grey, casting the empty break room in heavy shadows. "We went to highschool together," Daniel said softly. "Didn't even know he was gay until he had his hand down my pants in the locker room."

Ian laughed. "Yeah?" he said, sounding genuinely amused. "Were you out, then?"

"Oh, no," Daniel replied, shaking his head. "That would have been a death wish. But he must have caught me staring at him, because really— how can you help it at that age, and I seriously thought he was going to bash my head into the locker when he started coming towards me."

"And he did it just like that?" Ian replied, "Just shoved his hand down your pants?"

Daniel covered his mouth, hiding his embarrassed grin. "I can say, at the time, it was the hottest thing I'd ever hoped to experience. He jerked me off to the point that I was a quivering mess, and he didn't say a goddamn thing the entire time. I thought it had to be a very, very realistic wet dream."

"Shit," Ian laughed, "That sounds like a porno."

"Well, now you know why I fell in love with him," Daniel replied, feeling buoyed by the memory. "Total putty in his hands. He didn't speak to me for a week after that, and I thought I would just die, but then I found a note in my locker telling me to go to the parking lot after everyone was gone, and there he was in his shitty pickup."

"So he was definitely straight passing," Ian said. Daniel nodded.

"Yes, very much so. He had a girlfriend, for one thing."

Frowning at this, Daniel started to slowly turn his water in slow circles. "At the time, I felt justified being with him despite that for... who knows, some teenager logic—"

"Adults rationalize cheating just as easily."

"That's true," Daniel said, chuckling. He let out a long sigh. "But he just, he knew how to handle me so easily, it was a little staggering."

"I'm jealous," Ian replied, and Daniel looked up at him. "Maybe I should call him and ask for tips."

"Ian..." Daniel said warningly.

"I know, I know!" Sitting back, Ian crossed his arms, his lip curling in a tight smile. "I'm just joking with you. But you had this distant, dreamy expression on your face, and it was a little annoying," he said. "Really, how charming did this highschool blowhard have to be to make you look like that?"

"Why does it matter?" Daniel mumbled, taking a sip from his water. When Ian didn't respond, Daniel glanced up at him.

His mouth was set in a serious line, and he was appraising Daniel with raised eyebrows. "Well," Ian said, "I should point out that you were the one who put a halt to anything between us, but that didn't immediately extinguish my crush, you know?"

Leaning forward, he clasped his hands and grinned. "So please excuse a few out-of-line comments while my feelings still linger."

Daniel could feel a faint blush warming his cheeks, and he immediately looked down. "That... um, well..."

Standing up, Ian picked up the remains from his lunch. "Just saying—But don't let it bother you." Nodding a goodbye, he dumped his trash in the can, and left the break room. Daniel watched him leave, completely stunned, and then fell back in his chair.

"...Ah, jeez," he said. "Wonderful."

'''''''

He dawdled outside of the bar, lurking under the awning while a light drizzle fell through the muggy air. His brown hair was probably a mess, his hands were trembling, and he kept itching to pull out that cigarette box again, so at least he would have something to do.

Checking his watch, he licked chapped lips, and peeked inside the bar. It was too crowded to see if Richard was in there, but he probably was. Daniel had showed up late, and now he was stalling for even longer. He flicked his fingers, shifting from one foot to the other, and panicked about what ten years had done to his face.

The door to the bar opened, and he heard footsteps approach him. "I figured fifteen minutes was enough time."

Daniel froze. And then he stuck his hands in his pockets, and turned slowly to look at Richard with hunched shoulders. "Sorry."

"It's not a problem," Richard replied with a warm voice.

Finally taking a good look, Daniel nearly dropped his jaw. Twenty-eight to thirty-eight had been a smooth transition for Richard Saccone. He had filled out, with broad shoulders that supported a nice overcoat. His dark hair was slicked back, and his smile was just as disastrous as ever.

"Now come on out of the cold," he said, looping a friendly arm around Daniel's shoulders, and beckoning him inside the bar. People seemed to flow out of their way by instinct, and Daniel was immediately reminded of just how easily Richard walked through life.

"These fine ladies promised us their seats," he said, when they reached the bar, and two twenty-something women smiled at him, giggling when Richard pulled the stool out for Daniel, and gestured for him to take a seat.

Nodding a hello, Daniel tried not to be too outwardly self-conscious, but he tensed when Richard rested a hand at the small of his back.

"Representative Saccone was just telling us how you're his best friend from high school," one of the woman said.

Laughing, Richard rubbed Daniel's back. "Can you believe it? These two young women knew exactly who I was. It's great that younger people are paying attention to what's happening in their city."

Daniel smiled thinly, and turned his head to Richard. "You sound ridiculous," he whispered over the din of the bar.

Flashing him an amused smile, Richard licked his lips, his eyes twinkling. Daniel could see that his cheeks were a little flushed, that he had probably been drinking already... which was surprising. The Richard he was used to never let himself go so easily, and it was troubling how touchy he was being already. Especially in public.

"Well, ladies," Richard said, "Thank you for the seats."

"My mom will die when she hears I met you," the other woman said, "Thanks again!" She was waving around a napkin, and Daniel caught sight of the familiar scrawly signature.

"Not a problem," Richard said, waving as they walked away. He sighed, and turned back to the bar. "Honestly didn't expect to be recognized so easily," he said, tilting his head to look at Daniel.

"This is your district," Daniel replied with a shrug, "Your pictures are everywhere during elections."

Richard murmured in response, sliding a beer that had been waiting on the bar towards Daniel. "About that..." he said slowly, "It's why I wanted to see you today." Leaning closer, he rested a hand on Daniel's shoulder, his warmth and the subtle scent of his cologne hitting Daniel all at once. "I'm coming back," he whispered, straight into Daniel's ear.

Jerking away, Daniel stared at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"Yes," Richard said, his voice low. "No more Washington, no more Representative Saccone. They want me to run for mayor."

" _Mayor_?" Daniel breathed. They were old enough to be mayors? That wasn't an entirely pleasant thought... He pushed the thought from his mind and grabbed at Richard's sleeve. "When did this happen?"

"I've been wanting it for a long time," Richard replied, placing his hand over Daniel's. "But, I was approached by some interests in the city, and they're giving me the foothold that I need." Smiling, he looked down and shook his head. "Putting that aside for a moment," he said, "It's great to finally see you again, Daniel."

He looked back up, and reached forward to push a strand of hair away from Daniel's forehead. "Amazing. No matter how long we're apart, it always feels the same when we get back together."

"Yeah..." Daniel replied, lost. Richard's words were exactly what he had been hoping to hear, weren't they... Some stupid, naive part of himself wanted to know that the special bond between them could never be broken. "But aren't you being a bit..." He slipped his hand out from under Richard's grip.

"Careless? Yes, I am," Richard replied, "But this, frankly, is the last time I could ever hold your hand in a bar—so I wanted to give myself that."

Daniel almost wanted to laugh. Richard was really going for broke, pressing all the right buttons.

"I mean, we'll figure out private rendezvous once I'm settled back here in the city, but I really did want this one night."

Daniel just stared at Richard, his brain fighting what he had heard as if the words had been a virus. He pulled back even more, letting out a strained chuckle. "What, um... what do you mean by that?" he asked.

"What do I mean?" Richard replied, raising his eyebrows. "I mean I'm home now, Daniel, we can be together."


	4. Chapter 4

Yawning, Daniel stared blankly at his computer screen. A cup of coffee was set down on his desk, and Ian's amiable voice started chipping away at the fog in Daniel's brain. After a moment, he registered that the talking had stopped, and he looked up at Ian.

"Huh," Ian said, and Daniel wasn't quite sure what his expression meant. He was staring at Daniel's chest. Looking down, Daniel wondered if he had spilled anything on his suit. It looked clean, it...

Was the same suit that Daniel was wearing yesterday. And it was rumpled.

Daniel stared at his suit and recalled how Richard already had the room booked at that hotel.

How Richard had slowly undressed Daniel, hands warming Daniel up for the events to follow. How the moment Daniel immediately and visibly reacted to 'private rendezvous' and 'we can be together', Richard started treating him like a flighty virgin.

Kissing and touching with apparent leisure, Richard had reacquainted himself with Daniel's body, taking his time to rile Daniel up into a simmering heat until Daniel was needy for Richard, aching for a rougher touch. Richard played all the tricks he had, used all the knowledge he gained through the many times they had slept together. After all, everything Daniel had learned he liked, he learned from being with Richard.

"Um," Daniel said with a cough, forcing himself to focus on the present, "I'm sorry, I missed what you were..."

Ian smiled at him. "It was nothing." He took another obvious glance at Daniel's suit. "Nothing important." When Daniel shifted uncomfortably in his chair, Ian sighed and shook his head. He pressed his finger down on the lid of the coffee he had brought Daniel, and said, "This is hot. Wait a few minutes before you drink it."

Daniel nodded at him, and then Ian backed off with a small wave. "I'll see you at lunch," he said, familiar grin back on his face.

'''''

Ian was already in the break room when Daniel pushed the door open. He was sitting at one of the tables, scrolling on his phone. Standing a few feet away, Daniel was suddenly struck with the realization that Ian had quite smoothly gone from making him nervous to being his lunch break buddy. And only in a week and a half.

"Where's your lunch?" Daniel asked, setting his down on the table and taking a seat. Ian glanced up from his phone, and stared at Daniel for a beat before shrugging. He clicked the lock on his phone, and pushed it into his coat pocket.

"Guess I forgot," he said, and then he was sitting there with no occupation, no food, no phone, and he was just staring at Daniel. "But go ahead and eat," he said, waving at Daniel's lunch with a flourish, "I've lost my appetite anyway." His smile was tight, his clear green eyes focused on Daniel's.

Daniel slid his hand on the table towards his lunch, his tongue suddenly thick and useless in his mouth, and then he paused, fingers curling into his palm. "Are you... " he said slowly. "Mad?"

"Mad?" Ian replied lightly, pausing, keeping Daniel suspended for a fraught second, chest tight, until Ian visibly drooped, and shook his head. "Sorry," he said, running a hand through his hair. "I really didn't want to throw a tantrum, but I got kind of wound up while I was waiting for you."

He looked up, but then his eyes fell on Daniel's suit. "So... was he a perfect gentleman?" His hand curled into a fist on the table. "Never pushed any of your boundaries?"

Daniel's face burned. "So, you're still throwing the tantrum, then?"

He saw a flicker in Ian's eyes, the fist clenching. Then, Ian shook his head and relaxed, leaning back in his chair. He sighed. "No, no," he said gently. "I'm just... " Trailing off, he laughed, ruffling his hair. "Maybe thought I could still weasel my way in using the slow and steady method."

Blinking, Daniel chewed his lip before saying, "So, you really didn't want to be friends at all, then?"

"What?" Ian replied, quickly looking up at him. "Of course, I—" He stopped at the grin on Daniel's face, and then a matching one spread on his own. "Really," he said with mock surprise, "You... well, that was a mean joke!"

Daniel laughed, looking down at his paper sack lunch. He played with the edge, tearing it slightly. The tips of his fingers felt numb and fuzzy at the same time. He brought them up to his face, pushing his hair back. When his eyes darted up to Ian's, he found Ian looking at him with a small smile.

"I see," Ian said. "You're shy."

"What?" Daniel coughed, quickly placing his hand back down on the table.

"It isn't about self-esteem or being quiet, you're just shy," Ian replied, leaning forward excitedly. "And now you trust me, and you're being yourself!"

Ian looked so happy about his discovery that Daniel almost forgot to feel indignant at being called shy at his age. Well, it was true enough, maybe, but to say that Daniel  _trusted_ Ian was another thing entirely.

"Now," Ian said, resuming a less forward posture, "This man from last night—-"

"I never said I was with anyone," Daniel cut in tersely. The corner of Ian's lip curved up.

"—This man," he continued pointedly, "Can you play jokes with him?"

Daniel tapped a finger on the table, his lips thinning. "If this was only about feeling comfortable with making  _jokes_ , than Ian, I would be so desperately charmed by you, you don't even know. But it isn't about that, is it?"

His heart thudded against his ribcage. He had no idea where that outburst came from, but suddenly Ian's arrogant attempt to compare himself with Richard was less than tolerable. At the very least, Richard wanted Daniel to actually  _participate_ in sex, to hold onto Richard tightly, to move with him, not to just lie there like—-

Flushing, Daniel closed his eyes.

"...You're right," he heard Ian say. He opened his eyes.

"I'm—" Daniel was about to say 'sorry', but then he realized he had nothing to be sorry about. "I do hope you find someone who wants those things as much as you do, Ian."

"Me too," Ian replied, "And that he's so  _desperately charmed_  by me."

Staring at the smirk in front of him, Daniel blushed entirely, and hid his face in his hands. "Wow," he groaned, "I did say that at one point, didn't I?"

He heard an amused chuckle. And then felt a pat on the top of his head. "You did, it was very cute, and very flattering. And not helpful at all for dealing with this crush."

Dropping his hands in his lap, Daniel looked up to see Ian considering him with a smile. "I give up," Ian said, "I really do this time. I promise." He let out an exaggerated sigh. "Meeting a cute guy with a cute personality, and then taking him as my submissive... that really is a fantasy, isn't it?"

With a dry mouth, Daniel cleared his throat. Well, now he knew what Ian meant by flattering. Being called cute definitely made Daniel happy. He exhaled, licking his lips. "Something tells me," he said, "If anyone could ever attain that fantasy, it would be you."

''''

**Dani-**

**I've had a perfect two weeks, thanks to you. As you know, I'll be back in Washington until the end of the month tying up loose ends. Feel free to call me anytime on my private number. In fact, make sure that you do.**

**Can't wait to start the rest of eternity with you, Dani, I really can't.**

**Richard**

Staring at his phone, reading the weeks-old message for about the hundredth time, Daniel felt... not good, when he  _should be_ feeling very good. It wasn't any particular thing he could pinpoint, just that he didn't really like... there was just something about...

It just wasn't what he had been expecting. Richard's words, once again, were all the right ones, so reassuring and earnest, and Daniel just felt like he was choking. Who suddenly shows up after ten years, and expects a lifetime commitment? And once again, Daniel had to remind himself of all the late night meetings at nondescript hotels.

It had all happened so quickly, that Daniel never even took the time to consider saying no to Richard. It would have been a groundbreaking move on Daniel's part, who had never said no to Richard from the moment he had found that note in his locker asking him to go to the school parking lot after everyone had left.

Perhaps you really couldn't ever escape high school. He and Richard used to have  _private rendezvous_ back then, too.

"Don't strain your eyes."

Daniel looked up from squinting at his phone. Ian was standing over him, holding a chinese take-out bag. He set it down on the table, pushing the plastic down, and pulling out the separate containers. "Mongolian Beef for you," he said distractedly, opening up the rice, and breaking apart his chop sticks. "General Tsao's for me..."

He grinned at Daniel. "They gave us three fortune cookies, so we can duke it out over the last one when we're done."

Setting his phone down, Daniel pulled his container of mongolian beef forward. He grabbed one of the dry rice noodles, and popped it in his mouth. "You're in a good mood." His eyes flicked up to Ian. "First date go well?"

Ian exhaled with an amused breath, flipping his tie over his shoulder, and unbuttoning his cuffs. "It did," he said, "He's very sweet. Very eager." He looked at Daniel, smile turning wry. "Very young."

"How young?"

"Just younger than I would like," Ian replied, trying and failing to pick up some rice with his chopsticks. He abandoned them, and grabbed a plastic fork from the take-out bag. "But... he's not obnoxious, takes it seriously, so that's good. The last thing I need is someone who only  _thinks_ he wants to be submissive."

Daniel nodded, chewing thoughtfully. He swallowed, and then took a sip of water. "So what's wrong with young?"

He heard a sigh, and looked up. Ian was poking at his food. "Just preferences," Ian mumbled, "Can't have everything."

Daniel nodded, taking another bite of beef. "But he wants all the same things you do?"

"In a way," Ian replied. "He certainly has potential."

Feeling the itch to glance at his phone again, Daniel flicked his fingers, and then looked at Ian. "I want to know more," he said, pushing the email from his mind, "You're always very vague, like, he has potential for what?"

"Hmm," Ian murmured. He rested his chin on folded hands. "That's a good question. He has potential to want and be fulfilled by the things I want from him—well, that I would hypothetically want from him if we get along well." He sniffed, "You see, I've always had a yearning for something all-encompassing. Not just bedroom play, but real-live submission in our daily lives together. Where I would be head of household, where he would defer to me  _always._ "

Daniel couldn't help the light snort. "I don't know," he said, "That just sounds like you want some doormat for a boyfriend."

"Does it?" Ian replied, with a small smile. "Then, I guess, he wants an abusive, controlling asshole for a boyfriend?"

His amused tone had Daniel tilting his head with confusion.

"Daniel," Ian said, "A submissive isn't a doormat. He would be just as happy, truly happy, with the situation as I would. It's an equal relationship, we each give each other what the other wants."

"Ah," Daniel replied, running his tongue over his lips, feeling embarrassed. "I'm sorry, I guess I probably shouldn't have been saying things without really knowing what it's about—" He paused, and then shot Ian a suspicious look. "Well," he said, his lip curling, "That all sounds so healthy and enlightened, but it doesn't explain your penchant for tying up unsuspecting men."

Ian stared at Daniel, and then let out a bark of laughter. "Really can't pull the wool over your eyes, can I?" he said, grinning. "Fine, let's just say that what I was talking about before was more of the vanilla route I've decided to take. No more fantasies."

Smiling, Daniel reached for his phone, and then jerked his hand back as if burned. "Right," he said, turning his attention back to Ian, and keeping it there. "So what fantasies did you have to disillusion yourself of, for the sake of consent?"

"Cute," Ian replied, tapping his fork on the table. He sighed. "Let's see... the ultimate fantasy would be something—" He paused, as if he was almost too embarrassed to say it. "Distasteful."

Daniel stared at him, mouth in a flat line. "What the hell does that mean?"

"Distasteful," Ian repeated with a shrug, "Illicit office affair, using my position as boss to reel in a target, charming him. Something  _fun_." He gave Daniel a look. "Not checking some box on a niche dating site, yes? But like we said, that's all just fantasy."

"Well..." Daniel replied slowly, "There's a position open in the mail room, you could always just hire your boy in—"

"Shut up," Ian laughed, "You're the one who asked." He took another bite of his chicken, swallowed, and said, "You're asking a lot of questions, actually, trying to keep your mind off something?"

Daniel glanced away from his phone again. "What?"

"You keep reaching for that thing," Ian said, nodding towards the phone. "Expecting a call?"

"No— no." Daniel moved his hand farther away from the phone. "I just..."

He hadn't called Richard in the past few weeks. But then again, Richard hadn't called Daniel either, and he was supposed to be flying back that day. Daniel had written out and deleted several texts since he woke up, and he was feeling more unsettled by the minute. "Well," he said, sighing with resignation. "Yeah."

Smiling at him, Ian leaned back in his chair, and crossed his arms. "From the guy?"

Daniel nodded in the affirmative, but didn't feel like returning Ian's smile.

'''''

The door to Richard's new apartment swung open, and there he was, his sleeves rolled up over muscled arms, collar undone, and his dark hair falling in disarray. For a moment, Daniel was put at ease, seeing Richard like that, seeing him normal.

"Well, come on," Richard said, beckoning Daniel inside. "The spaghetti's almost done."

Stepping inside, Daniel took a cursory glance around the penthouse. There were cardboard boxes lined up in the corners, which different labels such as 'living room' and 'guest room', but apart from that, the place was empty. Daniel stood awkwardly in the living room, hands in his pockets, and watched Richard in the kitchen.

"So," Daniel said, "It's... alright that I'm here?"

"Mm?" Richard replied, holding a spoon to his mouth, testing the marinara sauce. "Oh, sure. Definitely. Probably this one time, but..." he trailed off, laughing. "Sit down, Dani."

Daniel glanced at the couch next to him, the one piece of furniture in the place. Sitting down, his posture was rigid, and his gaze kept jumping from Richard to all the moving boxes. Richard really had moved his entire life back to the city. "Richard," Daniel said, clenching his knees with his hands. "What—what if you don't win?"

"Don't win?" Richard replied, arching an eyebrow. He braced his hands on the edge on the counter. "Well, I would probably go back to law for awhile, and then I would run for something again."

"Really?" Daniel replied, "You wouldn't be..."

"You can't win everything in politics," Richard said with a shrug, taking a sip from a wine glass he had on the counter. He pulled out another glass from the cupboard, and poured some wine into it. "Just take a look at Nixon. He took a blow when he lost to Kennedy, but he rallied in the end."

"Nixon's probably not the best role model," Daniel muttered. He heard Richard chuckle, and pressed his lips together. "I just don't want... " he said slowly, "I'm just worried—"

"I get it," Richard cut in gently. He walked to Daniel and held out the glass of wine. Daniel took it, scooting over so that Richard could sit next to him and wrap an arm around his shoulders. "And don't. I'm not pining all of my aspirations on this, but I can say that I'm quite confident." He turned his head towards Daniel, and pressed a kiss on Daniel's temple. "Besides, how could I lose with you by my side?"

Daniel jerked around, almost bumping noses with Richard, who sat back with raised eyebrows. "By your side," Daniel breathed, "So, wait... does that mean..."

"Ah..." Richard replied, "Well, no. I didn't exactly mean—Dani, you've got to understand, even in this day and age, it would ruin everything I've strived for."

Nodding, unable to hide tight lips, Daniel set his glass down beside the couch and crossed his arms. He heard Richard do the same, and then shift closer, pushing his arm behind Daniel so that he could wrap it around Daniel's waist. "Don't be mad," Richard said softly, his warm breath puffing against Daniel's ear. "You know how these things work."

Daniel nodded tersely again, but his jaw was stiff. He couldn't bring himself to say anything back to Richard, and just sat there while Richard kissed along his neck in gentle pecks. His skin itched where Richard's lips touched him, and he felt unsettled. "So," he croaked, cleared his throat, and said again, "So, you want to stay in the closet?"

Sighing, Richard pulled Daniel closer. "Yes," he said, "Also... I need you to show some discretion as well."

Daniel felt a cold swell in his stomach, but tamped it down. "Discretion?" he replied with a quiet voice.

"Well, we can't do anything about your past, but in the future, just try to stay in the clear, ok? If anyone came around asking you questions, you can't say anything suspicious."

"My past..." Daniel laughed sharply, his eyebrows pinching together. He looked over to see that Richard was serious. He exhaled. "You want me to be in the closet."

Richard gave him an understanding smile. "You want to make this work, don't you, Dani?"

It was hard to find a reason why not with Richard holding him so tightly. And hadn't Daniel been waiting around his entire life since high school for this moment? None of his other relationships ever worked, they were just placeholders. Here, finally, was his moment to be with Richard, and maybe supporting Richard by being in the closet wasn't such a big sacrifice.

He sat silently for another moment, not feeling excited or overjoyed at all. But this what he wanted, he kept telling himself. He opened his mouth—and then heard the sound of the front door opening, the clack of heels on the wood floor. Richard tensed beside him, muttering, " _Shit._ "

Just as a woman turned the corner into the living room, Richard smoothly dislodged himself from Daniel, and stood up, wine glass in hand. "Marie," he said.

Daniel looked from him to the woman, who was slender and beautiful in a sharp way. She had sleek brown hair, and was wearing muted, dark colors. The word  _tasteful_ came to mind. Smiling, she strode to Richard, and... wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "Surprise!" she said, "I decided to take an earlier flight. I couldn't wait to see the apartment!"

Richard was chuckling, but Daniel could hear the strain in his voice. But Daniel wasn't really paying attention to that. His eyes were glued to the woman's left hand. There was a ring, with a diamond that seemed blinding. Daniel's mouth ran dry.

"Introduce your friend," the woman, Marie, said, pushing away from Richard, but keeping her arm around his waist. Daniel was speechless, his mind sluggishly working towards comprehension.

"Well..." Richard replied, speaking to Daniel, "This is my fiance, Marie. She's a member of my staff." He turned to Marie. "And Marie, this is my closest friend from high school, Dani."

Daniel felt something snap. " _Don't_ call me that," he said through clenched teeth. "My name is Daniel, not Dani, I am not a woman." He shoved past Richard, past Marie, and fled, slamming the front door behind him.

Taking the stairs two at time, Daniel tried to focus on not stumbling to the ground, but his pure, burning anger was driving him to move faster, to run from Richard's apartment building. He felt trapped, and all he wanted was the fresh air. He burst into the lobby, which was empty and quiet, and made it to the entrance before a hand circled his wrist and jerked him to a stop.

"I was waiting for the right time to tell you."

Daniel swung around, narrowing his eyes. "When?" he spat, "After you made sure you could convince me to hide in the closet? Had to see how much bullshit I would put up with?" He clawed Richard's grip off, and backed away until his back hit the door. "You really thought I would go along with that? With cheating?"

"You did before," Richard replied, "And it's not like I'm in love with her. She's a cover, for Christ's sake."

"Does she know that?" Daniel bit back, pointing up towards the apartment. "Something tells me no."

"Daniel..." Stepping forward, Richard dropped his hands on Daniel's shoulders, and Daniel felt sick. "She may think she loves me right now, but she'll get over that. It's a beneficial partnership for both of us. She has her own ambitions."

Shaking his head, Daniel shirked the hands. "Why are you doing this?" he breathed, "Why not come out? Why not..."

"Marry you?" Richard replied, and then snorted. "Come on Daniel, even if you were a woman... I need someone next to me who is my equal." He froze, as if he realized what he just said, and reached out for Daniel again, "I didn't mean it like that."

"Fuck you," Daniel replied, shoving Richard's hands away. "I hope you get caught in some public restroom with a dick in your mouth."

Swinging around, he pulled the door open, and strode out.

''''''

Daniel walked down the dark street, hunched over, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. Everything felt so crushing, his chest, his heart. He hadn't wanted to admit it earlier, but he had been so excited to see Richard, and to go to Richard's apartment. It was amazing just how perfectly the whole thing had come crashing down.

And that was it. Daniel didn't have any other first loves hiding in the wings. Richard was the man Daniel had been pining over for twenty years.

He still wasn't quite confident that he could say no to that, either. If Richard kept pursuing him... if he didn't let Daniel go, Daniel didn't know if he could walk away on his own. But he wanted to, desperately. He needed rehab for this addiction, he couldn't do it on his own. Even now, his fingers itched to grab his phone, to call Richard and beg for an explanation that didn't involve Richard getting  _married_.

"Shit," Daniel muttered, coming to a stop. He pulled out his phone, and stared at the screen. Finally, he slid the lock, and scrolled through his contacts, pressing the call button.

It rang several times. He shifted nervously. And then there was a click.

"Daniel?" Ian said. "I'm—"

"Can we meet up?" Daniel cut in. His voice sounded raspy.

There was a beat of silence. "Well," Ian said. He was gone again, and there was muffled speaking, and then, "Alright, are you in the city? I'm near the office..."

"I can meet you there."

"Ok," Ian replied. "See you in a few?"

Daniel nodded, licking his lips. "Yeah."

Hanging up, he pushed his phone into his pocket, and started up again down the street. He was already feeling misgivings, having called Ian on a whim, still unsure why he did it. But he didn't really have anyone else to talk to.

He could see the one light on, marking Ian's office in the darkness. Daniel hustled into the lobby, nodding at the late night guard and flashing his ID, and stepped into the elevator. Rubbing his neck, he realized that he felt antsy, his head was light. The doors to the elevator opened on his floor.

Striding past the rows and rows of empty cubicles, his feet thudded audibly on the dingy carpet. He reached Ian's office door, and rested his hand on the handle. There was still... he still had time to turn around and run away. He could text Ian, and say nevermind, he didn't need to meet up. He bit his lip, apprehension curling in his stomach. He opened the door.

"Ian," Daniel said, and then stopped. "...You look nice."

He did. He was wearing a sharp sports jacket, and his hair was styled back, a few strands of blond hair falling into his eyes. He tilted his head, his mouth spreading in amused smile. "Well," he said, "So do you."

Daniel looked down, remembering that he had dressed up for his date with Richard. "Ah," he said stupidly.

"Come on," Ian said, resting his hand at the small of Daniel's back, and leading him to the leather sofa pushed against the wall of the office. They sat, spaced a few feet from each other, and Ian leaned back with a sigh, throwing his arm over the back of the sofa. "Ok," he said, "What's wrong?"

Daniel was still staring at Ian's appearance. "Your date was tonight..." he trailed off.

"We were wrapping up anyway," Ian replied with a shrug.

Nodding, Daniel cleared his throat. There was a buzzing in his ears. "I want to do it, Ian." A moment passed. He could feel Ian's eyes on him. He twiddled his thumbs, unable to meet Ian's gaze.

"...What?"

"I want to do that thing," Daniel said quickly, stumbling over the words, "With the submission, and the—"

" _Seriously_?"

Daniel winced at the acid in Ian's tone. "What is going on, Daniel?" Ian said, "This is just..." He let out a sharp laugh, and Daniel ventured a glance over to see Ian leaning forward, scratching his forehead. "I don't know... why—" Ian stopped, and rubbed his face with him palms before sighing. "I actually kind of like this kid, Daniel, so if you're playing some sort of joke..."

"I..." Daniel replied, a rushing sound clogging his brain. "You said you wanted distasteful."

Ian looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "So?"

"I want..." Daniel wanted someone to stop him from being with Richard. He couldn't say that. "Money. I want a raise."

Ian just stared at him, mouth set in a tight frown. "This is too much, Daniel, you're being—"

Flushing, his words catching up with him, Daniel nodded with a jerky movement. He stood up. "Sorry," he breathed, "You're right, I'm... I don't," he could barely speak with how mortified he was. "That was a terrible thing to ask."

He tried to walk away when a hand grabbed his wrist. "I didn't say no."

Looking around, he found Ian smiling at him, but the smile was off, a little cold. "Well, Daniel," Ian said, pulling Daniel back down on the couch. "I'm surprised that you could come up with something even beyond what I ever fantasized about. You're right, that's very distasteful."

Leaning forward, he placed his hand on Daniel's knee. "But, somehow, I can't believe you're really serious."

Daniel was caught up in Ian's green eyes. "I am."

"Prove it," Ian replied, his hand clenching on Daniel's knee. "Prove it," he repeated, "Pull your pants down, and lie over my knees. Would you do that Daniel? Is that something you actually want to do?"

Daniel stared at him, wide-eyed. Lie over his knees meant...

All he could see was that woman's arm around Richard's waist. Clenching his jaw, Daniel stood up and started unbuckling his pants.

"You're being so reckless," came Ian's voice, and Daniel looked at him. Their eyes met, and Daniel could see the angry bewilderment there. He dropped his gaze, and undid the zipper on his pants. They fell to his ankles. He reached for his briefs, and Ian said, "No, I'll do that." He gestured for Daniel to come closer.

Daniel moved towards him, bending down, and letting Ian direct him over his lap. Lying there, Daniel pressed his forehead down on the couch, his fingers curling into his palms. His heart was thudding against his chest.

Ian rubbed his thigh with a gentle hand, but Daniel still jerked with surprise. He heard Ian sigh. "I've never done this with someone who wasn't into it," Ian said slowly.

"It's fine," Daniel replied with a tight voice.

"For you, maybe."

Ian's hand slid up, and he languidly massaged Daniel's bottom. "Fold your arms behind your back." Daniel did, and Ian pinned his wrists with his free hand. Daniel was practically vibrating at this point, his nerves tingling. He had never... even his parents hadn't ever spanked him when he was a kid.

It was humiliating, plain and simple. To have Ian, who for the past few weeks shared chinese take-out and dating horror stories with Daniel, was now looming over him, unseen and threatening... Daniel was breathless. He shifted, but Ian had a pretty firm hold on him.

"God," Ian muttered, "I hope you don't hate this."

Daniel felt the pressure on his ass lift for a moment, and then there was stinging  _smack._ Jerking forward with surprise, he hissed at the sudden pain. It wasn't much, really, but he was awake now, fully centered on what was happening, all other thoughts driven from his mind. "Jesus..."

"What?" Ian replied, he was rubbing Daniel's bottom again. "...How are you feeling right now?"

Daniel blinked, and then his lip curled up with amusement. "Well, I was expecting something a little more—-" Another, sharper, slap landed on his ass and he sucked in a breath.

"I'm being serious," Ian said from over him. "I want you to tell me what you're feeling right now."

Breathing slowly, Daniel swallowed and then nodded. "I'm..." he trailed off. "Embarrassed."

He heard a light chuckle, and Ian patted his ass with an affectionate touch. "That's good," Ian replied, "You should be. You're a grown man sprawled out over the lap of your boss. And you're about to get your ass whooped."

Exhaling, Daniel dropped his head against the couch again. "Yeah..." he breathed. He heard Ian sigh.

"Ok," Ian said.

He didn't say anything else. He started with light slaps, going from cheek to cheek at a steady pace, and Daniel felt a slow fire building. Letting go of his wrists, Ian fisted Daniel's waistband, pulling it up and lifting Daniel's hips in the process. With the bottom of his ass exposed, Daniel shut his eyes, clenching his jaw when Ian began spanking again, hitting directly with vulnerable flesh.

Daniel didn't even realize the first time he tried to cover his ass with his hand, it was instinctual. The spanking stopped, and Ian pushed Daniel's hand away. "No covering," he said. Daniel nodded. He brought his arms forward, crossing them, and resting his cheek down.

"Good boy," Ian murmured. He hooked a finger under Daniel's briefs, and tugged them down. Daniel felt the cold air of the office hit his ass, and he clenched his fists.

The next round was more intense, faster and painful. Ian kept spanking him without pause, and Daniel found himself licking his lips, letting out little grunts of discomfort. His skin burned. Each slap had him wincing more and more, his toes curling. " _God_ ," he muttered, and then let out a rough breath, his eyebrows pinching together. Ian wasn't letting up, just spanking harder, his palm connecting with Daniel's bottom with a loud  _smack_  over and over.

"This is what you're signing up for, Daniel," Ian said, "This is what submitting to me means." His voice came strong and clear through the fog of heat clouding Daniel's brain. "And there will be more."

"More?" Daniel parroted brainlessly. He vaguely registered a laugh from Ian.

The spanking sped up, the pain hitting a crescendo, and Daniel arched his back, rising up on his elbows. "Nngh" he uttered through gritted teeth. "Stop!"

Suddenly, the spanking stopped. He touched his cheek, and realized there were a few tears dripping down his face. Staring at the wetness on his fingers, he felt a confusing swirl of emptiness and relief hit the pit of his stomach. "Ian..." he said slowly.

"Sit up," Ian said. Daniel shifted up onto his knees, and Ian turned him so that he was straddling Ian's lap. Ian looked up at him, saw the tears, and smiled. Reaching up, he palmed Daniel's cheek, and brushed the tears away with his thumb. "Do you want me to hold you?"

Daniel frowned, about to say no, when he realized that he did. He nodded mutely.

Wrapping his arms around Daniel, Ian pulled him down, holding him close in a tight hug. Daniel collapsed limply into the embrace, resting his cheek in the crook of Ian's neck. Ian murmured comforting sounds into his ear, while gently rubbing his back. Daniel relaxed, going entirely boneless.

"Daniel," Ian said after a moment, "I want this too." He pressed a kiss down on the top of Daniel's head. "Please, please tell me this isn't some... that you're not..."

"I'm being serious," Daniel replied, his voice hoarse.

"Ok," Ian replied, his hold on Daniel firm. "...Ok." He dropped his head back on the couch, and let out a long, contented sigh. "We'll figure out the details in the morning."

 


	5. Chapter 5

The HR woman mumbled under her breath, shifting papers and signing documents. After signing the last sheet, she lets out a long sigh. "Well, Daniel, good for you."

Daniel really wished she hadn't said that.

"You've certainly been here long enough, I always wondered why you never asked for a raise. Passivity like that won't get you anywhere. Really, and I'm so glad that Ian has recognized your worth." She tapped her shellacked nail on a stone sitting beside a cup of pens. The word  _Determination_ was engraved on it in curly font."I know these things are a bit trite, but..."

"Thank you," Daniel said, holding up a hand. "No, I really do appreciate the sentiment."

She nodded, smiling. With the clack of the beaded chain attached to them, she raised her glasses to her eyes and took one last glance at the forms. "I see you're still in Elmstown. Maybe you might move to the city with this?"

Shaking his head, Daniel cleared his throat. "No, I like having a bit of a buffer."

"Hmm," she murmured. "I could never imagine living in the suburbs."

Daniel chuckled. "I think a lot of people from the department feel that way." He pulled at his sleeve, shifting in his chair. "Anyway, thank you for sorting this out so quickly, I know it's not the typical quarter for dealing with raises, I—really am sorry if this threw anything off, or something like that. If it was a bother."

"Oh, Daniel," the HR woman laughed, "This is my job, and it's really not that complicated to put in for a raise. I just need to send these through Ian, and then everything should be set. Ah, actually—" She held up a finger, and leaned over to dig through her desk, pulling out a paper clip. She slipped it onto the stack of paper. "Can you bring these by him on your way back?"

Daniel stared at the stack, unconsciously biting his lip. "Sure," he said finally, forcing a small smile. He took the papers from the woman, and stood up. "Thanks again."

"Thank  _you,_ " the woman replied, nodding at the papers. "And congratulations."

Outside of the HR office, Daniel was already halfway back to his department, and the sinking, upset feeling his stomach still hadn't gone away. The woman's congratulations had only made it worse. He held the papers clutched close to his chest, trying not to think about what they entailed. That he was willing to do something like this, for one thing. Also...

"Whoa, there!"

He had almost blown right by Ian's office, but a hand had shot out and stopped him. "Hey, now," Ian said, pushing his door open more. "I almost missed you." His warm smile made Daniel a little queasy.

He saw Ian take a cursory glance down the rows of cubicles, and then Ian traced a gentle line along the ridge of Daniel's jaw with his thumb. "Come inside," he said, nodding towards his office. "Come talk to me."

Swallowing, Daniel nodded. He followed Ian into the office, standing awkwardly while Ian shut the door with a quiet click. "Truthfully, I was kind of waiting for you," Ian laughed, taking Daniel's upper arm in a loose hold, as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do, and pulling him towards one of the chairs that sat in front of Ian's desk. "I think Carl was getting a bit uncomfortable with me hovering out there for so long."

"Oh," Daniel replied stiffly.

Ian apparently didn't hear him, more concerned with pulling a chair up to Daniel, their knees bumping when he sat down. "Is that it?" he said with a grin, his eyes twinkling excitedly.

Nodding, Daniel handed over the sheets of paper. Ian grabbed them from him, and started flipping through the pages. He was tapping his foot with a happy pace. "It's too bad I can't add 'personal sex slave' or 'indentured lover' to this," he said, laughing. Daniel stared at him, eyes wide and Ian blinked, his smile fading somewhat. "Ah," he said, pulling back, "That was a joke."

Daniel's cheeks burned. He exhaled through his nose, dropping his gaze.

"Really, though, this is..." Ian trailed off, letting out another chuckle. "I'm a little embarrassed at how much I don't feel any shame in doing this."

Looking back up, Daniel raised his eyebrows at Ian. "Really?" That was nice, Daniel felt horrible.

Ian nodded. He was watching Daniel, a small smile spreading on his face. He leaned forward, curling a hand around the back of Daniel's neck, and kissed him. Drawing back, he let out a contented sigh. "Yes," he said, looking pleased as punch. " _Really_. Really, really." He thumbed through the papers a second time, but Daniel could see he was barely looking at the words. "I don't know what made you think of this," he said, smiling. "Six months as my submissive lover, for a raise!" He laughed, shaking his head. "I love it."

A shadow passed over his face. "It's not that you needed this money for something, right? Like, I don't know, parent's hospital fees?"

Daniel shook his head. "I just wanted more money."

Any trace of hesitation disappeared from Ian's expression. He turned to the desk, and started signing each document while Daniel watched him. Gone was the coldness from that night when Daniel proposed the arrangement, there was nothing left of the anger and bewilderment that Ian had showed him. Daniel didn't know how he felt about that, whether he should be relieved or not.

"And you, um—" Daniel garbled. Ian looked up at him. Clearing his throat, Daniel glanced to the side. "You will, I don't know...this will be every day, right? What I mean to say is, you plan on..."

Trailing off, he sighed and shook his head. Already, this morning, Daniel had checked his phone and email several times to see if Richard had contacted him. In fact, Daniel's hand was in his pocket at that moment, grazing over the screen on his phone.

"Never mind," he muttered, upset with himself for being unable to request what he wanted. He yielded to temptation, and pulled out his phone. Just as he started to slide his thumb along the lock, the phone was grabbed from him with a sudden jerk.

Ian and Daniel stared at each other, both frozen. "Ah," Ian said, his eyes going to Daniel's phone clutched in his hand. He seemed unsure for a moment, but then set the phone down on his desk. "I'll be needing a list of your contacts, organized by how often you speak with them. Also, friends.  _Also_ , exes, any of whom you still speak to, or who might contact you."

Daniel was still staring, his lips parted, completely baffled. It couldn't be that easy...

"What?" Ian asked. He was gripping his pen, his expression flickering with doubt again. "Is that—well, I mean—I know it would seem creepy to the average person."

"No," Daniel interjected just a little too quickly. "No, it's fine. I mean, yes, it is creepy." He let out a nervous laugh. "But I'm going to try keeping a high threshold for these things, as much as I can, Ian." He rubbed his forehead, sighing. "I'll try to get that list to you by the end of the day."

"Good," Ian replied slowly. "Very good." He turned back to the documents. "As it stands, I think my policy will be no contact with exes, unless absolutely necessary. And in that case, you have to run it by me first."

"Perfect," Daniel murmured. Ian cocked an eyebrow at him. "And how will you monitor that?"

Tapping his pen on the desk, Ian quirked a smile. "Do you plan on breaking my rules? Do I really need to monitor it?"

Daniel just shrugged, moving his gaze off to the side. There was a tick of silence, and then Ian said, " _Well_ ," with a small chuckle. "Alright, now you're worrying me, I guess I do have to keep tabs."

"I didn't mean it like that," Daniel replied quietly.

"No," Ian said. "You can't talk your way out of it now. Plus, this is more fun if you're a little defiant." Daniel shot him a scowl at that, and he grinned. "Let's see...I guess I should check your call history every morning, and you'll have to give me the password to your email."

Daniel felt a small twitch of apprehension in his stomach. If Ian had access to Daniel's email, then he would have access to the Daniel's correspondence with Richard. Daniel glanced up at Ian, and saw that he was observing Daniel with raised eyebrows. "Are you..." Daniel said, "Seeing how far you can push this, or something?"

"Yes." Shrugging, Ian tapped the documents into a neat stack. "It's important to figure out your boundaries early on."

"I don't know about the email password."

Eyeing him silently, Ian nodded. "Alright, we can leave that for now." He laid the documents down on the desk, and turned back to Daniel, resting his hands on his knees. "Well..." he said. Silence weighed down on them for several moments, and then Ian cleared his throat. He inched his hand forward, pressing his fingers against the side of Daniel's calf. After another moment, he pulled away and fell against the back of chair, covering his eyes. "This part is going to be awkward, isn't it?"

Daniel considered him. "The sex?"

"Yes, the sex," Ian replied. He sighed. "Admittedly, I've tried a callboy before, just for the heck of it. But this feels different."

Daniel couldn't contain a slightly curious grin. " _You've_  hired an escort service?"

"Mhm," Ian murmured, looking down at Daniel from behind hooded eyes. His own lips twitched in a small smile. "I was at a conference, and wanted to let off steam. But I didn't really feel like putting up the effort of hunting someone down."

"Weren't you worried about getting caught?"

"No, I got the number from a friend," Ian said, crossing his arms. "Someone who knows what I like."

"Oh, yeah?" Covering his mouth, Daniel breathed out through his nose. He liked listening to Ian's stories, truth be told. They had made Daniel's lunch breaks so much more interesting. "What did you do with him?"

Ian was fully smiling at this point, the corner of his lip tugging up into a self-assured smirk. "He was assertive, which...fine, I guess he picked that up from having to deal with nervous clients, and I definitely didn't want to do anything that made him uncomfortable. But, I think he figured me out pretty quickly."

"What, that you wanted to suspend him from the ceiling and drop wax on his toes?"

"What?" Ian burst out with a laugh, "Wax on his—" He wiped at his eye. "—Don't worry, I'm not into wax."

Daniel tilted his head. "And yet you didn't deny suspension from the ceiling..."

"Well," Ian said, trying to hide a grin behind his hand, "I'm not exactly going to rule out...something like that."

"Suspension from the ceiling?" Daniel couldn't hide the disbelief from his voice. "Like a sex swing?"

"You've never tried it?"

"Let's just establish right now, my sex life has always been very,  _very_ vanilla."

Ian nodded, looking faintly amused. "Don't panic, Daniel. What I like, almost entirely has to do with submission. I can leave or take the sado stuff."

"Then...the, uh—" Daniel replied, licking his lips. He lowered his voice. "The spanking thing?"

A funny sort of expression passed over Ian's face, one Daniel couldn't quite read, but was suspicious that it had to do with being pleased, pleased that Daniel was squirming in his chair, whispering about being spanked. It was a little irritating. "Well?"

"Oh," Ian said. "Yes, I like that sort of thing a lot. But it's..." He paused, searching over Daniel's shoulder for what he wanted to say. "Mm, the implications behind me spanking you. It's a very physical symbol of my authority over you."

"A painful symbol," Daniel muttered. Ian flashed a grin at him.

"Yeah? And that was it, just pain? Those sensations didn't do anything else for you?"

Ian may have been acting like an overly cocky bastard, but Daniel could hear the slight worry in his voice. And Daniel understood, because at the root of it, he really believed that Ian wouldn't be able to enjoy their arrangement if he thought Daniel was suffering through the whole thing. Daniel sighed. "It wasn't terrible."

"Well, I guess that's something," Ian said with an exasperated breath. He glanced at Daniel's phone. "Does that have a passcode?" Daniel shook his head. "If I looked through it, would that kind of thing bother you? I wouldn't go into your email."

Daniel frowned. "Why would you need to?"

"Not right now," Ian replied. "But just randomly, would it be too much if I picked it up and checked up on things? What pictures you've taken, stuff like that."

"It's mostly just pictures of my dog..."

Breathing out with amusement, Ian smiled. He leaned forward again, and pressed a small peck on Daniel's lips. When Daniel didn't react, he slid closer, wrapping his hands around Daniel's upper arms, rubbing his thumbs against them. He kissed Daniel again, this time slower and softer, running his tongue against Daniel's lips. Pulling away just an inch, he exhaled, his warm breath puffing against Daniel's mouth, making Daniel's skin tingle. "Please answer."

"Alright," Daniel said, "I don't think I would mind it. There isn't anything on there that I would consider private."

Ian gave him a wry smile. "Except your email."

"Well, yeah."

Nodding, Ian pulled back with a sigh. "Fair enough. Although, that just makes me curious about what you don't want me to see." His dissatisfied expression was only passing, a grin breaking out on his face, and he pressed his knuckles against his mouth, suppressing a giggle.

Daniel watched him with knitted eyebrows. "What?"

"No, nothing," Ian replied. He rubbed at his cheek, looking overwhelmed. "I'm just having a hard time wrapping my head around—this. You. Being mine, and all that. Having someone I actually feel a real, well, don't laugh at the wording, but a connection with submit to me."

Daniel felt that sinking feeling in his stomach again. "Yeah..."

"Isn't it the least bit exciting for you?" Ian asked, his eyes flashing with delight, "This is our secret. Walking around the office, in meetings, none of those people would know. And it could just be the thought of it, that you  _submit_ to me, you belong to me, but all of our coworkers don't have a single inkling..." Trailing off, he pressed his lips together. "Ah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "Maybe I'm just talking incoherent gibberish on my own..."

Although Daniel couldn't honestly say he was following what Ian was talking about, he didn't want Ian to think he wasn't listening. "No, it's not gibberish. I just don't know if that particular aspect...would excite me, no."

Ian nodded. "I appreciate the honesty," he said with a faded smile.

Wanting to move past the awkward moment, Daniel cleared his throat. "So, you signed the papers, I agreed to your terms...what's next?"

Ian looked over at him, their eyes meeting, and both mumbled " _Sex_ ," at the same time. Daniel sank down slightly in his chair, cutting off eye contact with Ian. He had never felt so uncomfortable in his life, and that was saying something. But he was thankful that, at the very least, Ian seemed to be sharing some of his discomfort. He cleared his throat again, and licked his lips. "I think it would be easiest if you just tell me...a few of the things would you want to do, or something like that."

"I disagree," Ian said plainly, and Daniel looked at him. "Like I was saying before, this is about all-encompassing submission. We can have vanilla sex for the first month, for all I care. I'd rather iron out the other things first, and not just jump headlong into areas that might make you turn tail and run."

Clasping his hands, Daniel shook his head. "Better to just tell me now so I don't build up anything weird in my head."

Ian pinched the bridge of his nose, his lips thinning. "This isn't up for discussion."

Opening his mouth to respond, Daniel caught the way Ian was watching him. "Yes," he said, finally.

Eyes widening slightly, Ian grinned. He reached forward and ruffled Daniel's hair. "Good, very good. You make a very cute submissive, you know that? Having to bite your tongue and all that, it's very enticing."

"Are you trying to embarrass me?" Daniel replied flatly.

Ian laughed. "Maybe a little." His smile lessened somewhat, and he scratched the back of his ear. "I just want to think more, about the sex thing. Think about what's important for me, and what I can let go of, so you won't feel like I'm demanding too much."

"You won't know unless you ask me," Daniel replied.

Ian considered him silently for a moment. "The thing is," he said slowly, "You just keep making me like you more and more with everything you say. And I don't know if I could stand—if I requested something of you, and it scared you too much to be with me."

"I won't get scared," Daniel said. "I may...be reluctant to try some things. Especially if they involve pain."

Ian snorted, but his expression smoothed out with relief. "Ok," he said, still a little hesitant, his green eyes meeting Daniel's. "There's one thing I've always wanted to try, and it definitely doesn't involve pain.  _But_ , you might get a little tired."

'''''''

Daniel turned the lock on his front door, sidestepping Mugs. In the kitchen, he dropped his briefcase on the table with a sigh. He checked the fridge, but there was nothing that immediately grabbed his attention. Maybe he should just throw some frozen taquitos in the toaster oven, and call it day.

Considering this prospect with a frown, he gave up and went to his bedroom. Shrugging off his jacket, he put it in the closet, and sat down on his bed so that Mugs would have an easier time stampeding over him.

"Sadists, the both of you," Daniel mumbled, wincing when one of Mugs' nails dug into his arm.

He checked his watch. Seven PM. Ian said he had to stay up until four in the morning. Maybe he would finally catch up on that reality show he liked so much...the one with the dog trainer. Uplifted by the thought of hours of television, he kicked off his shoes one by one.

The television wasn't as distracting as he hoped it would be.

Sitting on his couch, his head thrown back, he stared up at his ceiling. Like a complete idiot, he had acted all cool with his speech about Ian just having to ask, but once Ian did ask, Daniel realized he was way in over his head. Sleep deprivation fucking...

"Je _sus_ ," Daniel groaned, dropping his arm over his face. It was almost sinister in its brilliance...no handcuffs were needed, no bonds...Daniel would be too fucking exhausted to fight back.

Daniel sighed.  _Fight back_  seemed a bit strong. He knew Ian wouldn't do anything Daniel wouldn't like. They even talked about what he would do—kiss Daniel, fuck him—nothing beyond that. It was safe, Daniel knew that, but it was intimidating. And it wasn't something he would seek out on his own.

His phone buzzed beside him, interrupting his thoughts. He tapped the screen without looking, and brought it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Dani?"

 _Shit._ It was always when he didn't check the caller ID that something like this happened. He licked his lips, muting the television. "What?"

He heard Richard sigh. "You picked up. Thank you."

Rolling his eyes, he dug his fingers into the couch. "It was an accident."

Richard chuckled, low and deep. The rumbling sound twisted Daniel's insides. "Well then, thank god for small favors. I'm really happy to hear your voice again, Dani."

Like a petulant child, Daniel refused to say anything in response. He prickled at the repeated chuckle. "You know," Richard said, his tone wistful, "You can't avoid me forever. We still have the reunion to go to."

"I'm sure the class of 1993 will be thrilled to hear about your impending nuptials."

" _Dani_." There was a faint sigh. "How many times do I have to say it? She's a cover, she's nothing. She's just an unfortunate side-effect of my career path.  _You're_ the one I love,  _you're_ the one I want in my life until the day I die. Not some whore I have to pay money to, not some club boy who wouldn't know who I am.  _You_."

"Am I supposed to be flattered by that?" Daniel snapped. "That you don't want meaningless sex with some baby? That I'm fucking convenient?" He pressed his thumb between his eyebrows, willing away his headache. "And don't talk about her like that, Richard. I don't want to know that you're willing to use someone like that." He could hear the pleading in his own voice, the begging that Richard wouldn't use  _him_ like that.

"Besides," Daniel said quickly, almost choking on the words. "I have someone now."

Static silence met his words. And then, "Whoever it is. He can't match up to me."

Daniel chewed on his lip, swallowing down the string of curses he wanted to hurl at Richard. "Don't be too sure. He's fucking rich, he runs the entire department—"

"He works with you?"

Shit. Shit.  _Shit_. Daniel should not be involving Ian in this. "It doesn't matter," Daniel said tightly, "The point is, I don't want to hear from you anymore."

"You do, though," Richard replied. "Because you love me as much as I love you, Daniel. This guy wasn't there the first time a boy kissed you. The first time a boy fucked you. Why the hell do you want to walk away from your first love?"

Daniel hung up on him. And then he shut off his phone. It was the only thing he had strength enough to do, since apparently he didn't have the strength to hate Richard. Hate the fucking asshole Richard had become.

Glancing at his watch, Daniel groaned again. Five more hours until he could hide under the safety blanket of sleep.

''''''

Daniel slumped in the chair in front of Ian's desk. "I really don't understand this," he said. "For one thing, I look like shit without any sleep."

Chuckling, Ian handed him a cup of orange juice. Daniel took it, and started gulping. "You don't," Ian said, "You look scruffy and cute and tired. And really, I just want to cuddle you right now, but unfortunately we both need to get to work." He held out his hand. "So, come on."

Daniel stared at the outstretched hand. "What?"

"Your phone."

"Oh, right." Blinking away the tired bleariness from his eyes, Daniel reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out his cellphone. He dropped it in Ian's hand, and watched as Ian scrolled through his call history, one hand resting on his hip.

"You didn't delete anything, did you?"

Too late, Daniel realized Ian was joking. But Daniel's eyes had already widened guiltily, his lips parting. Ian stared at him for a moment. "Wait," he said, his hand dropping a little. "You actually deleted something?" When Daniel just stared at him, he asked, "What could have happened from yesterday to this morning that you would want to hide from me?"

Exhaling, Daniel dropped his gaze. He was a little surprised that he was blushing with embarrassment. He clutched at his knees. "An ex."

"Seriously?" Ian laughed, and Daniel looked back up at him. Ian scratched at his eyebrow. "This is certainly—you—I guess, need training. Alright, up."

Daniel blinked. "What?"

"Up," Ian said, with a jerk of his thumb. "Remember that painful symbol of authority we were talking about? Well, get ready for some more symbolism."

Stalling for another second, Daniel sighed. "Fine." He stood. "On the couch again?"

"No, no," Ian said, gently turning Daniel towards the desk. He stroked Daniel's waist, pulling the back of Daniel's coat to the side. "Just bend over the desk a little."

Daniel did, resting his weight on his palms. In the next second, five sharp little swats landed on his ass in a rapid burst, raising a throbbing sting. He inhaled, standing straight without thinking. Ian chuckled. He pinched Daniel's butt cheek, making him jump. "Learned your lesson?"

"I think so," Daniel replied, rubbing his backside. He was a little surprised at how much five swats could hurt. He looked over his shoulder to see Ian smiling at him. "I'm sorry, for deleting the call history, and all that."

There was a pleased flash in Ian's eyes. "Good," he said. He seemed to hesitate for a moment, and then reached forward, pulling Daniel back around and towards him. Pushing his arms under Daniel's coat, he enveloped him in a tight hug. Daniel was stiff at first, not sure what was happening, but then he relaxed, allowing himself to enjoy the feeling of being held to another man's solid chest.

"This ex," Ian said, "Why didn't you want me to know about him?"

Trying not to go rigid again, Daniel said, "He's just a bit...it's kind of a sore subject. I didn't want to talk to him, and I should have been paying attention to my caller ID, but—" He stopped himself from babbling any further, dropping his face into the crook of Ian's neck.

"Don't lie to me again. If he calls, tell me. Anymore secrets like this, and I'll fucking bruise your ass, got it?"

Daniel nodded into Ian's neck, hiding his frown. The way Ian had slipped into severity from his usual affable tone was jarring, to say the least. It made Daniel wonder just how easily Ian could change other parts of his personality...

A hand on his back made Daniel freeze. "Time for work..." Ian said slowly, and Daniel wondered if he had caught Daniel's reaction. Dislodging himself, Daniel backed away, straightening his clothes. "So, you want me to come here at the end of the day?"

"Yes."

Daniel nodded, clearing his throat. "Then... I guess, I'll see you then."

''''''

"Did you bring an extra suit?"

Daniel nodded towards the hotel room's closet, where a suit was hanging. Then he shut the door behind Ian, and followed him back into the room. "It was very charming of you, to get the same room as before."

"Wasn't it?" Ian replied, grinning at Daniel. He dropped his briefcase on the chair in the corner, and then his coat. "It took all of my self-control not to just follow you right out the door at six. And then to have those god-awful department head meetings run until ten..." He glanced over at Daniel. "You didn't nap while you were waiting, did you?"

Daniel shook his head.

"Good," Ian said, sitting down on the bed. He leaned over to work his finger into the heel of his shoe, pushing it off, and then did the same for the other one. "Ready for our sleep over?"

Rolling his eyes, Daniel sat down on the bed next to Ian, his back a little stiff. He was wearing a ragged t-shirt he was used to sleeping in, and a pair of boxers, and yes, the call for sleep seemed to be echoing louder and louder in his mind.

He felt a hand caress his head, pushing into his wet hair. "Want me to towel this off? I don't want you to catch a cold."

He didn't wait for an answer, going to the bathroom, and returning with a dry towel. He stood in front of Daniel, massaging the cloth around his head. Daniel relaxed into it, his eyelids drifting shut, and suddenly most of his weight was leaning in towards Ian. "Whoa, there," Ian said, chuckling. "Not yet."

Rubbing at his eyebrow, Daniel nodded and sat up. He was glad he took the ibuprofen Ian suggested, because he was sure his head would be killing him without it. "I'm gonna..." he trailed off vaguely, scooting back. He grabbed the edge of the blanket, and burrowed underneath, resting back against the headboard.

Ian looked at Daniel for a moment, standing there with his crisp white shirt, and sleek pants that accentuated a trim waist. Then he turned, and flipped on the tv, grabbing the remote, and carrying it to the vacant side of the bed. "You're very—" he said with his back turned, unbuttoning his shirt, "—attractive to me, you know that?" He dropped the shirt on the ground, and undid his pants, letting them fall as well.

"Thank you," Daniel mumbled. He jerked when he felt something land on his stomach. It was the television remote.

Ian climbed into the bed next to him, wrapping an arm around Daniel's shoulders. "Pick something dark," he said with a sigh, "I'm not in the mood for sitcoms."

"What about..." Daniel replied, staring at him. Ian returned his glance, and smiled.

"Not yet," he said again.

"Are you waiting for me to fall asleep?"

Ian exhaled, leaning forward to place a light kiss on Daniel's lips. "No, I'm not. Just for you to be a bit more drowsy." When Daniel kept staring at him, he said, "And if you did fall asleep, I would wake you up before starting."

Daniel nodded, frowning. He turned back to the television, and after awhile, he almost forgot why they were even there, completely drawn into the show. It suddenly became imperative that he stay awake to find out who the killer was.

His head fell on Ian's chest anyway, and he didn't feel any shame in nudging closer. His eyes started to drift shut.

Vaguely registering Ian scooting out from under him, he felt himself gently lowered onto the pillows. "Mmn," he murmured, sure that he said something coherent, but he heard Ian chuckle, and a hand palm his cheek, thumb rubbing across his lips.

"Daniel?"

Opening his eyes, he looked at Ian, who was sitting over him. This was fine, Daniel thought, he could handle this. He could handle Ian pushing the blanket away, and slowly dragging Daniel's shirt up, and over his head. He could handle Ian pulling his boxers down. Daniel was naked, and Ian was touching his waist, ghosting fingers up to his chest—which was  _fine_.

"Daniel?" Ian repeated. He sounded very, very coherent compared to Daniel. Very awake.

Daniel swallowed, his cheek dropping to the pillow. He rolled to his side, his fingers curling into the sheets. He felt the bed dip, Ian shifting over him, rubbing Daniel's back, moving farther down to cup his ass. His eyes started to drift shut again, but there was a darkness ebbing in the pit of his stomach.

Ian pushed him gently to his back again. Leaning forward, he kissed the corner of Daniel's mouth, his lips warm and soft. That was nice, and Daniel murmured with want. He liked the heat of Ian's body over him, the kissing. Ian pressed his lips against Daniel's again, sliding his hand up Daniel's chest.

He said something, but Daniel didn't understand it. He pressed his lips together, it felt as if hooks were pulling him into the bed, dragging him towards sleep. He felt a hand tilt his head, warm kisses trailing along his cheek.

But then he felt a firm grip at his hip, angling him to his side again. Fingers groped towards his opening, and suddenly his gut twisted with fear. "No," he garbled, his face scrunching, but he could barely move, his arms felt like dead weight. He rubbed his face into the pillow, wanting to disappear into the bed.

The fingers were gone, and he was on his back again, Ian's worried face hovering over him. "Daniel—" he started to say, but Daniel had reached up to wrap his arms around Ian's neck, pulling him down on top of Daniel.

Burying his face against Ian's neck, Daniel sighed. He felt a hand gently pet his head. "Don't worry, Daniel," he heard Ian say, and it sounded so far off. "Please don't worry." Ian sat up on his elbows. "I'm just going to kiss you, okay? And touch you a little, is that alright?"

Daniel nodded, blurry-eyed. "Fall asleep—" he muttered.

"Do you mind if I kiss you when you're asleep?"

Shaking his head, Daniel smiled. He closed his eyes, holding on tightly to Ian, enjoying Ian's weight and warmth on top of him. The kisses tickled the first few times, but as Daniel drifted, it was just pleasant.

It was safe.


End file.
